Spike: The Dragon Princess

Chapters

Heroes
The Crystal Trade
All the King's Horses
The Plan
Angelica
First Contact
The Village Beyond The Hill
A Readiness to Fight
Peace Talks
Hope
Betrayal
Vivat Rex
Resolution
Epilogue
Princess Spike
Of Ponies and Dragons

Heroes

Twilight, not sure where to start her search, decided to perch herself outside the mouth of the volcano to ponder her moves. Intimidating dragons flew overhead, and the heat from the volcano was uncomfortable - Twilight couldn't think in this environment, so she fluttered down the mountain to the edge of where a nearby forest met the foot of the mountain.

The Princess observed her surroundings. "Where were you going?" she asked herself, gazing at the mountain.

A scurry of feet and a breaking of branches disrupted her thoughts. Twilight could see a number of trees toppling; something big was moving around inside the forest. She cautiously trotted toward the source of the commotion. As she got closer, she saw a large silhouette attempting to navigate the trees. A huge roar preceded a rush of fire.

A dragon?

"Hello?" Twilight called. The scurrying stopped. Over the next few seconds, the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of leaves and branches burning from the dragon's breath. "Who's there?" Twilight continued, advancing slowly.

As the dragon began to move toward her, a falling tree almost struck the Princess. The two were suddenly locked in a gaze; the dragon's nostrils smoking. "A pony..." the dragon murmured. "A Princess, too." he snarled.

"Yes. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here because I... I have urgent news for your Princess, but she's not here. I heard she left a few days ago. Do you have any idea where?"

The dragon snuffed the Princess "You have nerve setting your hooves on our land, pony. Leave." the dragon pushed by the Princess and headed into the forest.

"Wait!" Twilight pleaded. The dragon didn't comply. The purple alicorn responded by flying out in front of him. "I am the 'Princess of Friendship' in Equestria, and it's my solemn duty to spread the magic of friendship."

The dragon simply rolled his eyes and continued forward. "Then spread your 'magic' elsewhere. It is neither wanted nor needed here."

Twilight was becoming slowly exasperated by the dragon's lack of cooperation. She dropped back, taking a moment to calm herself before continuing, "Well if you won't tell me where your Princess is, at least answer me this: Why do you hate ponies so much?"

The dragon paused and turned to face Twilight. "You're a Princess of Equestria, and you're telling me you don't know?" he chortled, blowing a huge puff of black smoke at the Princess before pushing through the trees and out of sight.

Twilight was left somewhat bewildered. She knew a fair amount about dragons, but not a lot about their history. It was quite a way back to Canterlot, but if anywhere was going to have the answer, it would be the Archives.

Meanwhile, in the castle, Spike was enjoying some of the local delicacies; rubies, pearls, diamonds, sapphires, all of which he'd demanded from the staff. He spent a great amount of time observing paintings along the hall, thinking about getting one of himself up there. He then noticed the painting of the Princess he'd been mistaken for.

The resemblance was uncanny. She was only a young dragon herself. In Spike's eyes, she looked slightly taller, slightly thinner, and had marginally taller scales down her back. Spike looked down the hallway, deep in thought. He knew dragons were dangerous, unforgiving creatures, and understood the consequences of being found out. He also pondered the whereabouts of the real Princess he'd so foolishly imitated, and prayed that Twilight would be able to rescue him before it was too late.

His travels lead him down into what appeared to be a child's bedroom. It was a large, white room, decorated with exquisite paintings primarily of one dark blue dragon and one purple. The curtains were spangled with stars and pulled half closed. The light of day beamed through the window; the floor lit by the stars.

There was a dresser on the wall opposite the bed. A mirror placed on top and drawers underneath. Spike opened one of the drawers, revealing a book labelled 'The Princess' Diary'. Immediately, Spike was caught in conflict with his finding. He didn't want to pry on the privacy of someone else, but was equally concerned about his own safety if he couldn't convince the other dragons that he was their Princess.

A few seconds holding the book and Spike reluctantly opened the diary. The book opened to a random page. It read:

'Dear Diary,

I had another bad dream. The monsters came back to take my mother and father. I heard them fighting the monsters. I tried to help, but I couldn't open my door. I heard my father bellowing, my mother screaming, and then silence. The silence was the most horrible part. I thought the monsters would come for me, but they just left.

I still don't know where the monsters took them, or why, but I must find them. I want my mom and dad back.'

The bottom of the page was stained by a tear drop.

Spike flicked through to the front of the diary. 'Princess Duciel'. He knew her name now, which he found oddly unsettling. He stared at the name for a while. "Duciel" he muttered.

There was a knock on the door. "Princess?"

Spike was startled. He dropped the book and clambered toward the bed. It sounded like the green dragon from earlier.

"May I enter, my Princess?"

Spike took this time to learn the dragon's name in a somewhat playful manner. "You may enter on the condition you state your name and title upon entry." he laughed, nervously.

The dragon took a moment, but entered the room and bellowed "I am Nett; Defender of the Realm."

Spike smiled with a playful glee, still rather unsure as to how the Princess behaved. "Thank you, Nett. How may I help you?" he grinned.

"The Heroes have returned, Princess." Nett explained, trembling.

Spike was confused. Nett called them 'Heroes' but could see him visibly trembling. "I don't understand..."

Nett's trembling subsided, replaced by a look of concern. "What happened to you? You are nothing like you were before you left, like you aren't even our Princess..."

Spike couldn't look Nett in the eye, knowing he was lying through his teeth. "I don't know. I don't remember," he sighed "my memory is fuzzy. I barely remember anything, like I've had my memories taken from me." Spike frowned "The only thing I remember are the monsters. The monsters who came to take my mom and dad." Spike explained, attempting to feign a cry.

Nett comforted Spike by dragging him into his arms and cuddling the baby dragon. "You've been having nightmares again?"

Spike nodded.

Nett embraced Spike before putting him down and explaining the situation sternly "The Heroes threaten our land. We don't know where they come from. They come in large numbers and attack us from all sides. They have slain many, and threaten to slay more. We have limited defences. If we stay, we may die. If we leave, we will lose our homeland to the Heroes. We need you to give our orders immediately. What are your wishes, Princess?"

The Crystal Trade

Twilight's journey had brought her to the entrance of the Crystal Palace. Inside, she was met by one of Cadance's guards. "Greetings, Princess Sparkle. How may I be of service?"

"Do you know where Cadance is?"

"She's currently making preparations for Hearts and Hooves Day. She'll be in the potion room." The stallion turned to begin walking down the long hallway "Please, follow me."

Not far down the corridor was Cadance's preparation room. Upon entering, Twilight was greeted with the sight of a small, but very tall, room lined with shelves of potions and different forms of weaponry. As she looked up, she saw Cadance hovering by a shelf, replacing a rifle. The sight of her sister-in-law filled Twilight with glee.

"Cadance!" the purple alicorn beamed.

"Twilight!" Cadance smiled, gliding gently downward "What brings you here?"

"Nothing good, unfortunately." Twilight glanced at some of the potions "What's with all the potions?"

Cadance smiled and shook her head "Oh, nothing, really. Just a few preparations for Hearts and Hooves Day. I've been overstocking on love potions - I have a feeling the upcoming Hearts and Hooves Day is going to be a busy one," The Princess of Love guided Twilight out of the room, sealing the door behind them. "but it sounds like you have troubling news. How can I help?"

"Ah, yes, of course." Twilight internally recapped what she'd studied, "The Princess of the Dragon Realm - Princess Duciel - has gone missing." The purple alicorn noticed Cadance's instant transformation from happiness to worry, but continued to explain "I'm not sure how long she's been missing, but they've mistaken Spike as their Princess..."

"I mistook her for Spike when I first met her, too." Cadance chuckled.

"...I have to find Princess Duciel before they figure out that Spike's an imposter. And to make matters worse, according to Spike, the Realm is under attack as we speak."

"The Heroes?" Cadance questioned.

Twilight was surprised, "Y-yes." she replied.

Cadance pondered "And why did you come looking for me in particular?"

"Spike told me he'd found something the Princess had written about a peace treaty and a trade agreement with the Crystal Empire. You two have been in talks..."

"The Princess came to me seeking crystals. Her father disappeared several moons ago and she's been left in charge all on her own. A dragon, not much older than Spike, left to rule the entire Realm..." Cadance paused "I asked her why she needed the crystals. She told me the dragons could fend off the Heroes with them. Apparently the crystals hold a power that overwhelms them."

"And who are these 'Heroes'?"

"I don't know. Communication with the Dragon Realm broke down once the Heroes invaded. The dragons seemed to think that we were responsible for the attacks, that we, the ponies of Equestria, had been encroaching on their land. I think a few dragons, including King Depaix, understood that we wouldn't undo all the hard work we'd put in to keeping the peace between the Dragon Realm and Equestria. He was usurped and subsequently banished from the Dragon Realm. He hasn't been seen since. The dragon who usurped him, however, was only in power for a matter of hours before he was forcibly removed by the King's most loyal servant; a dragon by the name of Nett. Nett reclaimed the throne for the absent King. He had to put Princess Duciel in charge or else their palace would be under constant attack from dragons trying to claim the throne for themselves. Nett has been loyally serving Princess Duciel ever since, whilst simultaneously searching for her lost father."

"A Kingdom under siege with nobody to lead them..." Twilight processed everything she'd learned so far and suddenly sprung into life. "Well we can't just sit around. We have to find the Princess and the King. We also need to bring crystals to help fend off the Heroes, and we need to get Spike out of there, all before the Heroes bring down the entire realm. No pressure..." Twilight twitched "No pressure at all!"

Cadance embraced Twilight "It'll all be fine. Come on. Look around you, you've saved empires before. You can do it again."

"Let's go!" Twilight smiled.

Spike, meanwhile, had made his way out from the palace and onto the side of the volcano. He could see dragons off in the distance in each direction. Their flaming breath lit the darkening sky. The baby dragon could see the shadows of figures moving about on the ground, some were attacking the dragons with swords, others with arrows. Both dragons and Heroes fell in almost equal number. Unfortunately, the dragons were outnumbered by the Heroes. At this rate, the dragons would lose the battle for sure.

Spike ran around, looking for an opening between the fighting, but he could see none.

Nett flew overhead, noticing the baby dragon. He swooped down and confronted Spike. "Princess. It's much too dangerous out here - you have to get back inside the palace. We'll deal with the situation out here."

"You can't win." Spike reasoned.

"We have to!" Nett scowled.

By this point, Spike was furious "But you've already lost your King, your Queen and your Princess. Do you want to lose the whole Realm, too?"

Nett grabbed Spike by the throat, lifting him off the ground "I knew it!" he bellowed. "From the moment you got here, I knew you weren't the Princess. Tell me what you've done with her."

"N-nothing. I have n- no idea where she is" Spike choked.

"Liar!" Nett foamed.

"I'm not lying!" Spike cried, trying to catch his breath.

Nett suddenly collapsed onto his back, dropping Spike to the floor. A stray arrow had pierced Nett in the back.

"Nett!" Spike yelled.

The weakened Nett coughed. The arrow had punctured his lung.

"You're right, Nett, I'm not the real Princess, but she's out there somewhere, and I promise you I'll find her." Spike took Nett's hand. "I promise." Nett weakly observed the baby dragon's words, unable to catch his breath to speak. Slowly, Nett drifted out of consciousness. Spike clutched Nett's hand, resting his head against it, trying to hold back tears. "I promise." he repeated.

"Spike!" the purple dragon heard from afar. Twilight and Cadance flew overhead. "Spike!" Twilight settled down by the two dragons. Cadance flew into the heart of the battle, blasting crystal spells at the Heroes, preventing them from advancing further into the realm. "Nett." Twilight called.

"He got hit by an arrow." Spike cried.

Twilight used her magic to turn the dragon over to locate the wound. "I... I don't think I can help, Spike. The arrow's went right through to his lung, and judging by the angle, I'd say it's cut through his heart, too." Twilight laid Nett back where he was. "I'm sorry, Spike, there's nothing I can do."

Spike grabbed Twilight and hugged into her, sobbing.

Cadance swooped in, followed by a horde of dragons, "Run!" she bellowed.

Twilight grabbed Spike and the three of them fled to the woods. The dragons flew over them, shooting flames at the trees, setting them alight. The Princesses and Spike fled by hoof until they were out of the sight of the dragons.

"Is everypony alright?" Cadance asked. Twilight nodded. Spike remained a sobbing mess. "Come on. We can't stay here. We need to get out of this forest before they burn it to the ground."

All the King's Horses

The forest was dimly lit by the burning trees. The dragons were ever present above, seeking out the Princesses. The ponies trotted silently across the muddy ground, over fallen trees and through prickly weeds. Ahead of them, however, was a loud rustling accompanied by a cloud of smoke. The ponies began to cough. They then noticed an obscured figure in front of them which began to move.

With a puff of fire, the creature's face came into view. Twilight recognised it as the dragon she had met earlier. Cadance and Spike both backed off, pulling Twilight away with them. Twilight shrugged them off and went in closer. "Hello?" she called out.

The dragon grunted. "You again?" he snarled. His eyes grew wide as he glanced toward Spike. "Duciel?" He peered closer at the baby dragon. "No. You're not Duciel."

"No. This is my friend, Spike. He was mistaken for Princess Duciel, and..."

"What?" The dragon interrupted. "Nett would never be so foolish."

"You know Nett?" Spike queried.

"Of course I know Nett. He was my number one assistant. The most loyal and dependable dragon I ever met. He'd never make such a mistake."

"Wait a minute. Are you..." Twilight pondered, "...are you King Depaix?"

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared "The pony learned something."

"Yes. I also learned that you made great strides to keep the peace between Equestria and the Dragon Realm. I know you don't hate ponies. So why are you acting so hostile?"

The dragon sighed "I don't hate ponies, and you're right, I was trying to build a peaceful coexistence between ponies and dragons. That was until the Heroes came."

"Who are the Heroes?" Spike asked.

"I'm not too sure. One day they attacked, seemingly out of the blue, and we've been under regular fire from them ever since. They come wielding swords. They used to come one at a time - they could barely scratch us - but then they started coming in numbers, carrying armour, and firing arrows. Suddenly, we were on the back foot. Meanwhile, everyone was busy wondering where they were coming from, but they were mere rumours with no substance. Nobody really knew where the Heroes came from, but the idea that they were coming from Equestria seemed to fit the prejudices of the many and everyone started to believe it. I protested against their ideas, which only lead to them losing faith in my leadership. They threw me out of the realm, breaking my wings as a sign of dishonour. I've been living in this forest since then."

"Didn't you go looking for your daughter?" Twilight questioned.

"Of course. What sort of father would I be if I didn't?" he scorned "Trying to get back into the realm proved impossible. I couldn't fight my own kind without the use of my wings. I still try even to this day. It's no use. When you told me she was missing, I went searching for her. There's a lake not far from here she enjoyed visiting. I assumed if she'd ran, she would have went there..."

"But she wasn't, was she?" Cadance frowned.

"No."

"I saw a scroll," Spike spoke up "about peace talks and a trade agreement between the Dragon Realm and the Crystal Empire."

"That's right, Spike." Cadance added, "Princess Duciel and Nett both travelled to the Crystal Empire to talk to me about bringing more crystals to the Dragon Realm to help fight off the Heroes. We think that it's possible she was on her way to the Crystal Empire when she went missing."

"But if they were going together, then why was Nett still at the palace?" Spike pondered.

"That's right. If she'd been travelling with Nett, then why would she suddenly go alone?" Twilight racked her brains.

"What if she wasn't going to the Crystal Empire at all?" Depaix suggested. "What if she was looking for something else?"

"You mean you think she was trying to find the land of the Heroes?" Twilight asked.

"Maybe she was looking for her father" Cadance smiled.

"We should ask the Heroes." Spike suggested.

"But nobody knows where they come from," Depaix snorted "besides, no dragon would dare to go into their territory - we'd be slain on sight!"

"Not dragons, Your Highness" Spike hinted.

"Of course!" Twilight beamed "We know they're hostile toward you, but perhaps we could go in your place? Spike, you're a genius!" Twilight squeezed Spike tightly, "And that is why you're my number one assistant."

"But that means I can't go with you..." Spike frowned.

"That's okay, Spike" Cadance smiled. "You've got Royal duties to perform here, anyway" Spike stared back at Cadance in confusion. "Look. If there is nobody on the throne, the dragons will fight over who gets it. For now, we need you to go back into the palace and be a leader."

Spike frowned "But I was a terrible leader... and now Nett..." Spike snuffled.

Cadance lifted Spike's chin. "I know. It's tough to be a Princess - you've learned that once already - just keep your head on your shoulders and remember to think about more than just your own needs." Spike was lifted by Cadance's confidence in him. "You're the only one who can do it, at least until we find the real Princess."

Spike wiped away the tears. "You're right. Without a leader, there'll be a huge power vacuum that all the dragons will try to fill." Spike turned to King Depaix, "I promise I won't let you down."

King Depaix seemed less cheerful about the arrangements. "I disapprove of this entirely," he grumbled "however, given the dire circumstances, I fear I have little option. Do as you need to. I, meanwhile, will continue to search for my daughter here."

"King Depaix. I promise you we'll do all we can to help find your daughter, return you to your throne, and stop whoever these 'Heroes' may be. After that, I'd be more than happy to continue peace talks with you." Twilight decreed. King Depaix silently acknowledged Twilight's declaration. "Come on then, Cadance, we've got our work cut out."

The Plan

Princess Cadance and Twilight fluttered high above the volcano of the Dragon Realm. Twilight carefully pondered a plan. "I think it would be best if we split up." she explained. "The Dragon Realm is surrounded by water on both the southern and western sides. I doubt the settlement of the Heroes will be so small that they could remain in such a limited area without being ousted. Our best bet is for one of us to fly north and the other to the east, go for about a half hour and then we can meet back here. Sound good?"

Cadance nodded, "It's not perfect, but I doubt we have a whole lot of time. We still need to find the Princess, too." Cadance dug her hoof under her wing and pulled out a couple of small contraptions. "I didn't want to use these just yet because I haven't had a chance to test them, but I figure they could come in useful." The pink Princess passed one of the devices to Twilight.

"What are they?" she quizzed.

Cadance demonstrated with her own, "Officially, it's part of the Crystal Empire's 'Northern Ice' Project. These are called Love Scouters; they measure a pony's 'Potency Of Will, Emotion and Romance', or 'POWER' level for short. It should be able to help you deduce how hostile the Heroes are, and should work from almost any distance." Cadance unfolded the glass screen from the earpiece and attached it to her face. "Here, look," she prompted Twilight to observe the control panel on the side of the Love Scouter. "the button on the top here will calculate who you're looking at and bring up their power level. If it changes drastically, the scouter will alert you automatically." Cadance took Twilight's scouter and unfolded it. "Here, let me put that on for you. It can be a little tricky." the Princess explained, shuffling the device around Twilight's ear in an attempt to get it to hook on.

"Ow!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Oops, sorry," Cadance apologised "I've only built ones to fit me so far, so this might be a little uncomfortable for you." the pink alicorn fiddled some more, "Is that okay?"

Twilight waved her head around "It seems secure..."

Cadance smiled, relatively satisfied with the positioning of the scouter. The Princess flew back a few yards before shooting herself up further into the sky. She raised a hoof and tapped a button on her scouter. "The button lower down is for the intercom," The Princess' voice rang through Twilight's right ear. "Tap it to begin broadcasting, tap it again to cease. If your message is brief, hold the button down for more than a second and once you release it, it'll automatically stop broadcasting." There was a short pause "Try it out, if you can hear me."

Princess Twilight felt around the control panel in order to find the lower button. Once she felt the bump, she tapped the button with her hoof. "Uh, hello?" Twilight awaited a response. Looking up at Cadance, she could see the mouth of the Princess moving, but she could hear nothing. "I'm sorry, Cadance, I can't hear you..." she explained.

Cadance swooped back down to Twilight, tapping the button on the purple pony's scouter. "You can't receive if you're currently broadcasting. A drawback, I know, but sending and receiving using only one kind of magic seems to interfere with it." Twilight nodded in acknowledgement. "If I could get another pony to test it with their own magic, we might be able to communicate with each other simultaneously, but unfortunately for now, this is what we have to deal with."

"Right, so remember to press it again before you can speak. Got it."

"Yeah, I think as a rule of thumb, we'll leave a couple of seconds after the end of each other's messages just so we know we're picking up what we're saying. Again, it's not perfect, but it's an early prototype and I'm working out the kinks. Still, much faster and easier than having to travel out and all the way back here, right?"

Twilight grinned, "I had no idea you were so prolific in engineering."

Cadance giggled "I know. Ironic that the Princess of Love dedicates so much of her time to engineering weaponry. It's my job to spread love throughout Equestria, but it's good to have a trusty arsenal behind me to help." she beamed, "Anyway. Scouters are working; I guess we should get started."

King Depaix and Spike reached the foot of the volcano, staying just behind the tree line. Spike stared up into the old, scaly face of King Depaix. "Can I ask you something, Your Highness?"

"I prefer it if you didn't..." the King snorted.

"No, it's just that, well... I'm a dragon, just like you, but I was found as an egg before I was hatched. It's been playing on my mind for a long time now, because I don't know where I came from and who my real parents are, you know?" Spike confessed as the King faded in and out of listening to him. "Is there any way I could ever find out?"

King Depaix stared for several seconds into the eyes of the baby dragon, contemplating his answer. He saw the same innocent, hopeful glimmer in Spike's eyes as he had seen in his own daughter's. The King sighed and settled himself as he stared off up the volcano. "Spike. Dragons are a hardened species - they care little for family and even less of sentiment. We live primarily for ourselves, but our community exists as we understand that we have many powerful foes. We are strong even alone, yes, but like these Heroes, our enemies attack in numbers. There are plenty of rouge dragons who go alone, but they so often end up slain. Our scales are of immense value to some cultures, others take our eggs to consume as food, and some even hunt us for fun..." the King turned back to look at Spike "What I'm saying is if you cherish the ideals of a supportive family and loving friends then I strongly suggest you remain in Equestria, because you won't find a similar caring environment for you here."

Spike took a moment to ingest the information given to him. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" the King enquired.

"Do you value your family and friends?"

King Depaix smiled at the young lad. "I do." the forest fell silent for just a moment. The only thing that could be heard was a gentle breeze passing through the branches of the trees. "Duciel wasn't my only child." the King began to explain "My wife laid three eggs. Two of them were poached." he paused "Two dragons infiltrated the castle at night. It was an attempted assassination, meant for me, but after they failed, they took my dear Queen instead - killed her right in front of me - and snatched the eggs. I managed to retrieve one during the unfolding madness - my precious Duciel - but they escaped with the other two. I remember it being the first time I'd called on Nett. Over the following weeks, he lead the search to track down the two assailants. I had them both executed, but the eggs were still missing. After months of looking, we called off the search. Nett helped me through, and when Duciel was born, he helped me raise her. I think she saw him much more than she ever saw me." in talking about him, the King was reminded of the events that had unfolded earlier. "She will take the news of Nett's passing much harder than I."

"I'm sorry for your loss, King Depaix. But from what you just told me, you sound like a great father and a fantastic role model for Duciel. I'd be honoured if I had someone like you as a father." Spike said, sincerely.

King Depaix acknowledged Spike's condolences. The rustling wind reminded him of what lay ahead. "Thank you, Spike. Your words mean a lot to me. Don't lose touch with your kindness; it's a very important trait. That said, I believe we should now focus ourselves on our goals."

The baby dragon suddenly jumped into action "Right!"

"One thing before you go, Spike. The word of Nett's passing will spread like wildfire amongst the other dragons. Somewhere along the line the news will find its way to those who seek power and they will make an attempt at the throne. You're just a child; you can't fight them. The moment you return, you must find the War Horn. Sound it, and my Elite Guards will be alerted. You will be met by Captain Espoir. It is important that you do not hide your identity to him - any attempts to fool him will not end well for you. Greet him immediately with the phrase 'Pour la Fierté du Royaume' and explain to him the situation in full. He will take your direct orders. You will be acting as leader of the Realm until the situation is resolved."

Spike was sweating with nervousness, "No pressure then."

King Depaix stared at the baby dragon, wondering if he was up to the task. "I feel you will have plenty of help with Captain Espoir by your side." he stretched his arm around Spike and patted him on the back before pushing him forward. "With any luck, I shall take back my throne shortly." Spike stumbled forward as the King pushed him. As he found his footing, he looked back at the King nervously. The giant dragon nodded his head and pointed up the top of the volcano with his eyes. "Now, go."

Angelica

Soaring high above the land, Twilight began her search of the land of the Heroes. The two Princesses had a large area to search, and Twilight wanted to make absolutely sure that Cadance got the message. She tapped the button on her scouter to begin broadcasting; she heard a brief, high-pitched beep in her ear as she did so.

"Cadance? I just wanted to go over the plan one more time." she paused momentarily, but continued her ramblings when she remembered that Cadance wouldn't be able to reply, "We have very little information to go on regarding the Heroes, so keep an eye out for anything unusual. Any creatures we do meet, approach with caution in case they're hostile. If we're lucky, we should be able to talk to the Heroes and find out what's going on from their perspective. As much as I'd like to take the words of King Depaix as truth, I think there may be more going on here than we've been told... uh... over?" Twilight pushed the button on the scouter to end her message. Another beep was heard.

Cadance's voice came through the scouter somewhat grainy. "You're broadcasting quite badly, Twilight. I got what you said, but I think something may be interfering with the scouters a little. We may need to keep a check on that and change the plan accordingly so we don't lose contact. The last thing we need is to lose each other. Over."

"We'll keep communications up as much as possible so we know we can hear each other. If we have to stick closely to one another, this search might take longer than expected. I hope Spike doesn't run into any trouble..."

"Twi; Spike will be fine. I know he has his moments, but he's always come through for you when you needed him most. He'll be in that palace doing his best to make you proud. But we need to focus on what's in front of us - we've got a lot to do. Over."

"I suppose you're right. I just feel like we've been asking way too much of him. The idea of putting a child in charge of the Realm just seems absurd."

"Nett found it necessary, and I think it's our best hope, too. Imagine the unrest if the dragons began fighting one another. The forest below us could be scorched. The ecosystem inside this forest would be destroyed. These 'Heroes' could wipe out the dragons whilst they all fight amongst themselves. Failure here would have knock-on effects that could ripple throughout Equestria." Cadance paused. There was a brief, yet noticeable silence. Cadance began talking once more, but it was too broken to understand.

"Cadance?" Twilight called. She waited several seconds, but she heard no reply. "Cadance!" she repeated. Nothing. The Princess of Friendship stared across in the general direction of Cadance. The purple alicorn was about to fly off to find her pink partner, but the scouter stopped her in her tracks. According to the scouter, there were a large number of power levels nearby in a north-easterly direction. Twilight was in two minds as she figured this could have been the place they were looking for, but she also knew it was risky to drop communications with Cadance in case anything went wrong.

Twilight, who had initially flown in a northerly direction, started bearing east, taking her south of the location her scouter pointed to. She attempted communication with Cadance several more times as she travelled east, but her efforts were in vain. The purple alicorn attempted to use the scouter to pick up Cadance's power level, but there were no readings. "Cadance!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs, but dead silence followed. Miss Sparkle took another peek at her scouter. The power levels she picked up before were still registering. Due north.

She hovered in the air as her mind fought itself over what to do next. She could continue to look for Cadance, but she also needed to resolve the conflict quickly before the situation degraded further. "You're right, Cadance," she admitted "if the Dragon Realm falls apart, it could mean disaster for all of Equestria. I'm sorry, but right now I have to be a Princess first, and a Sister-in-law second..."

Twilight sped off into the distance to investigate the power levels, leaving Cadance behind.

Spike had climbed his way back to the palace of King Depaix. The coast was clear, leaving him with an almost stress-free search for the War Horn. The baby dragon's logic lead him into the throne room. "Could it be in here?" he wondered. "I should have asked King Depaix." he sighed, checking the walls and behind the doors, "Ehh, hindsight's 20/20."

The throne sat at the top of the room; it was made from a white marble and draped in a bright red cloth. On top of the throne, Spike noticed a couple of golden brackets that looked like they once held something; however, there was nothing currently there. Spike climbed up to investigate. "Oh no. What if this is where the War Horn is supposed to be? It could be anywhere, now." he moaned. "Guess I'll have to look somewhere else" he conceded, climbing down from the throne and strolling out into the long hallways.

The palace was eerily quiet. No assistants, no royalty, nothing. Spike's feet patted off the stone floors, echoing off the walls and reverberating down the hall. His attention was taken by Duciel's bedroom door which had been left slightly ajar. The purple dragon remembered the diary he'd been reading. His urgent plans to call in Captain Espoir were about to be put on hold as his temptation got the better of him, choosing to wander back inside the Princess' room to take another peek at her diary.

Spike picked up the book from the floor in front of the dresser where he'd dropped it earlier. He sat down on the floor with his back propped up by the side of the bed, opened the pages of the Princess' diary and flicked through to see if he could find any useful information. Back and forth he slid each page across, taking a few moments to see any words that caught his eye, but he found very little. The snippets he read all sounded like the ramblings of an average child. The only consistent thing he could place were the nightmares she'd been having for the last few moons. He scrolled all the way to the very last entry. It was short and sweet and dated for a few days ago.

Dear Diary,

I need to speak with Angelica again. She's so very sweet. I'm going back out again tonight. The lake is so wonderful at this time of year with the bright red, orange and yellow leaves. I hope she comes. I have to tell her about my nightmares. I know she'll understand. Wish me luck?

"This must have been the night Duciel disappeared... she must have went out to the lake." Spike looked back slowly over the previous entries, trying to find the entries just before her first mentioning of nightmares. Suddenly, words and sentences were jumping out of the page, adding context to the situation.

"We were attacked. A small group of creatures came into the Realm, firing arrows at us. I'm scared. Why do they want to hurt us?"

"The other dragons don't like my dad's way of thinking. They think we should be fighting these monsters, but my dad thinks we should talk to them and make peace with them. I agree with my dad. I don't want to fight."

"I've been really sad lately. Tonight I went out to the lake to cheer up and I found one of them! They seemed really sad, too. I didn't talk to them, though. I wouldn't know what to say."

"The monsters came for my dad. I wanted to help him, but I stayed in bed, frozen and silent."

"I don't know who it is, but they were at the lake again tonight. Same time every night, just like always. I'm going to talk to them tonight."

"Her name is Angelica. She was scared of me at first, but I think we've become friends."

"She told me dragons attacked her home so they sent Heroes to our Realm to slay us. Angelica doesn't want to fight, though; she wants peace. She's not like the others."

"So the Heroes came in retaliation to the dragons attacking first? But that doesn't make any sense. King Depaix didn't even know who the Heroes were, let alone where they live. Was he lying?" Spike contemplated.

He glanced up and noticed something on the bedroom door he'd missed previously. Dangling down from a hook on the back of the door, Spike noticed the War Horn hung up by its string. "The horn!" he cheered, leaping up and grabbing it with both claws. He stared at it carefully. It looked like it had been made from the hollowed-out tusk of a minotaur and was painted with red rings around the top and bottom. "I think I know what I need to do now..." he reassured himself, taking the War Horn into the corridors.

As he stepped out of the palace, the heat from the volcano warmed Spike's entire body, the redness of the roaring magma reflected off his scales as he stood by a ledge overlooking the lake of fire. He took in a deep breath, puckered his lips around the end of the horn and blew with all his might. The sound was near deafening. It rang through the volcano and could be heard for miles outside of it. The brave purple dragon stood motionless and listened carefully for a response.

Within minutes he had his reply, as swooping down came a number of colourful dragons. They flapped their wings hard as they landed on the ledge by Spike. The largest - a dark brown dragon - approached Spike, leering into his eyes. "Captain Espoir, at your service." he grinned.

First Contact

"...failure here would have knock-on effects that could ripple throughout Equestria." Cadance explained, taking a brief pause to observe her surroundings. The pink alicorn was surrounded on all sides by a vast expanse of trees which sprawled up hillsides and dived into valleys. In the midst of all this, streaming down the side of a distant mountain was a river. The water flowed into a lake which was located not too far in the distance by the Princess' right side.

"I think I've found the lake. I'm going to do a quick flyover to see if I can see anything." Cadance declared, flapping her wings and readying her scouter to scan the area. She settled herself down by the side of the lake. The body of water stretched for so long it wasn't possible to clearly make out anything on the other side. The trees lined the water, and several of them even sprouted from the water itself. Where the lake and the land met, there was little in the way of traversable land, just mounds of soggy mud and jagged rocks. Everything looked pretty tranquil from Cadance's perspective; the land hadn't been tampered at all. "It's a pretty big area..." the Princess muttered to herself.

Cadance took to the sky with her purple-tipped wings, gliding across the surface of the water. She tapped the scanner button on her scouter, hoping to find some signs of life. Her scouter blipped and bleeped as it tried to gather information from the forest, but nothing immediately sprang out. The Princess of Love pressed the button to open up scouter communications, "Twilight, I'm down by the lake, but I'm not finding much. I'm going to head back up and continue searching elsewhere. How are things on your end? Over."

She waited expectantly for a reply, but no reply came. "Twilight? Come in, Twilight. Over."

Nothing.

"Twilight, are you alright?" the Princess asked in concern. "I must have flown out of range. I'm going to have to go back. Hopefully she's alright."

The pink alicorn's wings flapped vigorously, droplets of water from the lake splashing against her as she lifted herself up into the sky. She glanced around to get her bearings. Then, having orientated herself, Cadance swivelled her body to face a northerly direction and darted off across the lake with the turbulent air rippling along her body as she pierced the skies.

Crossing the northern boundary of the lake, her scouter blipped. The Princess slammed on the brakes to check where the readings were coming from. Two power levels - one of twenty and another of thirty-five - registered on the scouter. "Hmm. Two moderate power levels, and they appear to be in the forest." Cadance contemplated her next move. Her mind rattled as she tried to make a decision. "I could go and check the power levels; it could take seconds, it might be nothing, but it's bad that I've lost contact with Twilight. What if she runs into a problem? What if I run into a problem by checking out these power levels?" the Princess groaned in frustration.

She checked the scouter again. "No. I have to get back to Twilight." she conceded. Cadance pointed her wings towards the area she believed Twilight to be in, pulled them both back giving her a huge leap forward and flew off to find the Princess.

"Captain Espoir..." Spike muttered to himself, checking out the group of dragons presented to him. They were all of similar build. They didn't look much different to an average adult dragon that Spike had seen many times before. One was a deep red with a golden stomach. Another was navy blue with a teal belly. The third was a creamy colour with a beige stomach. The last was green and purple. They were all stood to attention bar the Captain, who had begun approaching Spike, examining him.

"You hold the War Horn, yet you are neither the Princess nor the exiled King." the Captain snarled, "Explain, or find yourself at our mercy."

Spike was instantly shaken by their intimidating presence to the point where he could barely mutter a sound. He sweated nervously, fighting his desire to flee with every ounce of will. He clenched his claws and steadied his breathing before attempting to address the already impatient Captain. "My n-n-name..." he swallowed, almost choking on his words, "...is Spike. The King suggested I seek your help." the baby dragon's mind froze at that point, failing to continue any attempts at pushing out words.

Captain Espoir leaned down, bringing his face to within inches of Spike's, and stared directly into his eyes. "Go on." he said.

Spike slammed his eyes shut and turned his head away to avoid the Captain's terrifying gaze. "P-p-poor... la f-f-fear... tay... du..." Spike's heart crumbled as his mind failed to recall the last word. "Um..." he stuttered, almost in tears. "Roy...?" he continued, unsure of himself. "Roy-ah...oo-may?" he grit his teeth together, having stumbled over almost every syllable and prayed to Celestia that he'd gotten it correct.

The Captain reeled himself back from the purple dragon's face and snorted, completely unimpressed. The group flung their right forearms up to their heads and saluted Spike. "Pour la Fierté du Royaume!" they bellowed with almost perfect synchronisation, slamming their arms back down by their side.

Whilst the group remained stood mainly to attention, the Captain relaxed himself once more. "I look around this palace and it is almost entirely deserted. It is a shambles; a mere shadow of the palace this once was. Our Kingdom is falling apart at the seams and he has left a mere child in charge in his absence? What a travesty. It is no wonder why he was overthrown. If not for Nett's ridiculous sense of 'loyalty', that throne would have been taken by one more... 'worthy', I'd say."

Spike's fears of the Captain were briefly sidelined to make way for anger at his remark regarding Nett, "Hey!" the baby dragon barked, "Nett was a great dragon! He was the most kind-hearted dragon I've met!" the Captain's ears perked as Spike ranted, "He laid down his life to protect what he believed in, which is a lot more than I can say for the rest of this Realm. Every dragon I've met so far has been self-centred, self-absorbed and looked out only for their own selfish greed! At least Nett, the King and the Princess show a shred of decency!" Spike's anger had turned a distinctive shade of crimson. "And what do they get? Nett is dead, the King has been banished, and the Princess is missing! The only three dragons I've ever known that were worth saving from these 'Heroes' have had their lives rolled up and spat out. Now I've been left here to do what I can to pick up the pieces and I will not have you speak a single word against any of them! Okay?" Spike bellowed, glaring deep into Espoir's eyes, expecting complete conformity.

The Captain simply snorted at Spike's rant. "Too soft, too gentle. Whilst the King sat on his throne claiming everything to be fine, the rest of the Realm feared for their lives against the Heroes. They came in swarms, attacking our lairs, decimating our population and taking their bodies. Many of us have experienced loss at the hands of the Heroes, yet the King defiantly claimed that it could all be solved over a cup of tea and scones. He was delusional!" the Captain roared. "His banishment didn't come soon enough! And ever since I personally helped assimilate our Realm's defences, we have suffered only minor losses."

"But you're still suffering losses!" Spike exclaimed, "Had the King been able to talk to the leader of the Heroes and understood exactly why they were attacking the Realm, things could have been sorted out by now and no-one else would have to die!"

"But they are the aggressors!" the Captain argued, "It's only right for us to defend ourselves!"

"Wrong!" Spike corrected him, "According to the Princess, it was a dragon who attacked the Heroes' village which made them fight back. The Heroes feared for their lives against the dragon who attacked their homes and must have decided the only way to deal with the situation is to kill all of you!"

"So then we should be attacking them!" Espoir pushed, "If they won't stop until we're all dead, then what do we have to lose?"

"No!" Spike interjected, "You're not seeing it from their side. They believe that all dragons will invade their village and kill them. A visit from the King to show that dragons are peaceful and that the dragon - who has essentially triggered a war - will be punished for what he did should be enough to calm everything down. Instead, what you want to do will not only end badly for both the Heroes and the dragons, but will have effect all of Equestria and the surrounding areas for years!"

"We don't care for Equestria! We have nothing to gain from their monarchy. The ponies are as weak-minded as the King, trying to solve their problems with 'love' and 'friendship'. The real world doesn't work like Equestria."

"Wrong again!" Spike corrected the Captain, "Because I know already that when the Heroes attacked, Princess Duciel travelled to the Crystal Empire to meet Princess Cadance. Apparently, the Heroes can't fight against crystals. Had the dragons been friends with Equestria before this attack, the Crystal Empire could have given you the crystals to deal with the Heroes right away. Your problems started long before the Heroes attacked. It started with the dragons' bad attitudes. All this killing could have been stopped if you believed in friendship. In fact, it was probably the bad attitude of a single dragon which might still end up in your entire Realm being destroyed. You all could learn so much from King Depaix, but you banished him and I think that was your biggest mistake."

Captain Espoir remained silent, unable to piece together a counter-argument, backed down and conceded, "You show signs of a great leader." he reluctantly admitted, "It's almost as if it were in your blood." the brown dragon half-heartedly jested. "Fine. We'll play by your rules. Here you have five of the Realm's finest warriors at your disposal. You think you can lead us out of this war and into peace?" he chortled, "Impress me. Tell me what to do and I'll do it, but if I think for a moment that your ideas won't work, I'll be forced to 'relieve you of your duties' as our acting leader."

Spike was trembling with the adrenaline coursing through his veins from the heated argument, but a small wave of relief passed over him, taking off the edge, knowing that Espoir was now willing to listen. "Okay, then," the new leader began, "I tell you where we're going to start..."

The Village Beyond The Hill

The distance Twilight had covered had been substantial. The Dragon Realm, even from this distance, remained the largest focal point on the horizon. The deep red rocks of volcano spread out over a vast distance, leading to the edge of the forest. The deep green leaves of the forest spanned the rest of the landscape. To the side of the volcano was a small mountain range. A river streamed down the side of one of the higher peaks, leading into the forest. It twisted and turned until it passed under the hooves of the purple Princess, leading directly towards the power levels that remained on the screen of the scouter.

The nervous alicorn hovered slightly above the tree line. The trees thinned as they climbed a steep hill which stood between herself and her destination. Twilight found an appropriate open space between the trees to set her hooves down, and her mind began to tick over, calculating the possibilities that lay over the mound of dirt and rocks.

The ground was moist. Twilight's hooves left prints in the mud with each step she took. Her heart started to beat at a frantic pace as she forced her way up to the top. Keeping herself low, the Princess peered over toward a quaint little village at the foot of the hill. Surrounded by a low stone wall, there were tiny hut-sized houses made from clay and straw, a marketplace selling food and other goods to the locals. Behind them - towering above it all - was a castle made from cobblestone, surrounded by a deep moat, and behind that sprawled out several acres of farm land.

She observed the locals carefully. They didn't look like big, hard brutes who could overcome the entire Dragon Realm; they looked peaceful. The creatures were bipedal. Their bodies were bereft of hair on their faces and hands, bearing their pale skin, and were draped in simplistic wool garments.

The Princess observed their children playing in the mud and the adults mulling around the busy market, trading goods and services. There were guards standing by the castle gates, but it wasn't obvious if there was any activity present behind the tall stone walls. The scouter's screen was too clustered with power levels to clearly define exactly where they were coming from. Twilight figured the best way to get a clearer picture of the scene would be from the air.

The purple alicorn beat her wings, lifting herself off of the wet ground and high into the air. She soared as high as she could without having the scouter lose its bearings. Twilight was high enough that her wings touched the clouds. The scouter still picked up the activity from the ground below, but still the levels were too clustered to provide her with any meaningful data. Her only option now was to approach the village.

The Princess dive-bombed toward the farm land behind the castle, opting for speed as she had no chance of concealment in the air. She swooped down into the cornfields, believing it to be her best bet at remaining covert. Twilight trotted lightly through the corn, making as little noise as possible. She'd recognised a flaw in her plan immediately as the corn was too tightly packed to give her a decent look ahead. She would have to rely on her scouter readings to lead the way.

The most dense readings came from the village, but there were also a few readings coming from behind; she figured those readings were coming from the farmers. The cornfields seemed much larger from within than they did from the sky; they seemed to take an eternity to navigate. The castle did, however, begin to come into view as she looked up into the sky. Her light trots almost turned into a crawl; moving crops would be easily seen from any guards looking down from the castle. Thankfully, though, there didn't appear to be any guards posted on the top of the walls.

As she slowly pushed through the last few stems of corn, an opening appeared. The Princess found herself in a small section of open field on the edge of the farm. A small wooden fence lined the fields, and beyond that, the castle's moat. It would only take a single pair of wandering eyes to spot her in the broad daylight.

It was at that moment, however, that a buzzing from the scouter distracted her attention. She couldn't make anything out, but the Element of Magic did at least attempt a response. "Cadance?" she whispered loudly. The pink alicorn's response sounded like nothing more than mere white noise. "Cadance, where are you?" Twilight questioned.

"Brrzt-brr-zz-drr"

Twilight figured she could locate Cadance on the scouter. Unfortunately, the power level readings were still too clustered to define any individual reading. Her only chance of communicating was to hope that Cadance was closing in on her location and that the signal would improve enough to send a clear message. The next few seconds took forever as she waited for Cadance to get closer.

"Twrr-lrrt? Drr-rr-Twrr-lrrt. Rrvrr."

"Cadance? Can you hear me?"

"Rrm rrrdrr rr. Wrr-rr-brr."

"I can't understand you. Just keep heading north. I've found the village of the Heroes." Twilight explained, hoping that Cadance could make out her messages a bit clearer.

"Rr-srry, crn yrr say thrt agrrn?"

"I said I found the village. Keep flying north. The whole village is hidden in a kind of valley behind a big hill. Follow the scouter."

"Rr think rr crn herr you now. Are yrr pickrr me up?"

"You're still coming through really fuzzy, but I can hear you!" Twilight squee'd, completely unaware of her surroundings or how loud her voice had become.

Suddenly, the clanking of metal grabbed her attention as she had been surrounded by villagers wearing heavy metal armour and pointing spears in her direction. The scouter blipped, showing a clear indication of their power levels. They were all in the higher end of double figures.

"Have you spoken to them yet?" Cadance asked. Twilight didn't react, like she hadn't heard Cadance's message, as her mind was now completely focused on the sharp, pointed heads of the spears all aimed directly at her. "Twilight, can you hear me?" ... "Twilight?" Cadance's concern showed in her voice "Twilight!" she shouted.

"I don't think we're welcome here..." Twilight's voice quivered.

"Just hold on, Twilight. I'm almost there."

"Well I don't think I'm going anywhere just yet... take your time." Twilight laughed nervously.

For a moment, the scene fell almost silent. The only noises that could be heard came from the wind, the rustling of the cornfields in the breeze and the occasional clanking of metal. The Heroes slowly spread along the line of the cornfields to ensure Twilight made no attempt to escape the way she had come, rattling their armour. Amidst all these sounds came a rustling. A rustling of leather and distinct sound of feet impacting the soft ground.

"Greetings!" a voice bellowed. Twilight pivoted around to face the origin of the call. Approaching her was a Hero with no armour, but instead was draped in fancy garments. The uniform consisted of a white, form-fitting Napoleon style jacket, complete with navy blue buttons and tassels hanging from the shoulders. On his back he appeared to carry a sword inside a red, leather scabbard; the strap of which pressed against his chest. His trousers matched the white of his jacket, complete with two navy blue stripes which travelled up the sides of his legs. He wore black leather gloves, and matching boots which had been dirtied by mud from the damp ground.

His curled hair was also jet black and was long enough that it swayed majestically in the cool afternoon breeze. Even with the awkwardness of walking on moving, squelching mud, he seemed to glide as he walked; his posture was impeccable and his presence was unrivalled. He opened his arms wide and grinned at Twilight, "A pony!" he exclaimed. "Such a rare sight around these parts, and an alicorn, no less!" his every word was expressed through exaggerated movements of his arms. He stood face-to-face with the Princess, staring down into her eyes as she was merely a few inches shorter than him. "Am I right in my assumptions that we've been graced by the presence of royalty?"

Twilight stared back into the eyes of the well-dressed Hero, trying hard not to feel intimidated by him. As he was so close to her, the scouter could pick out his power level. 'Over four hundred?' she thought - much higher than the glimpses of the two-figure readings she'd noticed from the majority of the others. "Yes. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm the Princess of Friendship in Equestria."

The Hero turned away and bellowed with laughter. "Friendship?" he chortled, "You ponies are so bad at it that you need someone to dictate how it's done? Astonishing!" he sniggered. "Yes, I mean it's only right that you should fix your shortcomings. Tell me, Miss... Sprinkle-"

"Sparkle!" Twi snapped.

"Sparkle..." his eyes rolled "What do you know of our kind?"

Twilight paused, puzzled. "N-nothing."

The Hero nodded his head, taking in a deep breath, "Of course. Do you even know what we're called?"

Twilight hesitated with the answer, despite knowing it, "Heroes?"

The black-haired gentleman cocked his head, unsure of how Twilight had come to that conclusion, "That's a new one." he admitted, wagging his index finger in her direction "No. We, as a species, are known as 'humans'. We were once prevalent, but your ever wonderful Princess Celestia made sure that it wouldn't last. There are only a few hundred colonies like ours left. Long story short; you were right to assume that your kind are not welcome here, which leaves me with one simple request: leave. Leave now and we will allow you to leave with your life."

Suddenly, Twilight's plans of peace-talks were blowing up in her face. She couldn't come so far to simply walk away. "I came here in the name of peace. You've been destroying the Dragon Realm and I came to help stop the fighting."

"The Dragon Realm? You mean to say you're working alongside the dragons?" he chuckled, "Ponies and dragons working together?" he reiterated. "Well, then, I guess that changes things," he conceded. Twilight briefly sighed in relief, until she witnessed him draw his sword from its sheath, steadying it just inches from her muzzle, "because now I'm going to have to kill you."

A Readiness to Fight

Cadance beat her wings at a frantic pace, hoping to catch Twilight before it was too late. The force of the wind as she passed through it left her unable to catch a sufficient breath, but she sped on, fearing the consequences of her failing to reach the scene on time. Power levels dotted all over the screen of her scouter. Making out which one was Twilight's would prove difficult with the sheer volume of data laid out in front of her.

Acres and acres of endless trees sprawled across the land; but the steep hill which concealed the village lay just ahead. Unlike Twilight's subtle approach, Cadance simply fired herself over the village like a fighter jet, glancing down at the ground to locate her fellow Princess. As she passed over the top of the castle and into the farmer's fields, she banked and spun herself around in full view of the armed villagers. The distraction was enough that Twilight had enough time to make her escape. Not wanting to risk being impaled by a spear, she powered up her magic and teleported herself closer to Cadance.

Her sudden move startled the Princess of Love. She held a hoof over her chest as she caught her breath. "I forgot you could do that." she sighed. "Remind me why you don't just do that every time you find yourself backed into a corner?"

"Takes a few seconds, and I don't always have control over it." Twilight explained.

Cadance nodded in approval, "Ah, plot convenience. I like it."

Twilight stared down back toward the villagers who were all watching them precariously, "We need to go back down there." she stated.

"I'd call you crazy, but really, I agree. If we don't try and sort this out then things are going to get out of hoof." Cadance admitted.

"So..." Twilight pondered, "How do we go about it?"

Cadance flashed up a defensive bubble, "Safely."

The two Princesses glided slowly down toward the crowd. A couple of men threw their spears, but were deflected by Cadance's protection spell. The two of them settled themselves down on a beaten track in between the cornfields. The men did not hesitate and attacked directly, thrusting their spears into the transparent cyan orb. It was of little use, though, as spears were cast aside with ease.

Their leader, who had since retracted his sword, realised the futility early on and called for them to cease attacking the ponies. "Halt!" he hailed, and like obedient dogs the men ceased and retreated. The Princesses glared, awaiting his next action. He approached the Princesses, smiling confidently, waving his arms down to the floor, signalling to his men to lay down their weapons. "Weak weaponry won't work against such a strong spell." he concluded, as he reached around to his lower back and pulled out a single shot pistol. "To pierce something like that, you need something with a bit more force."

Twilight was nervous, but largely bewildered as she'd never seen a pistol before and was unsure of its capabilities. Cadance, however, had experience with firearms and was fully aware of the danger they found themselves in. The forcefield disappeared. "Cadance!" Twilight fretted. The armed men picked up their weapons once more, dashing quickly to surround the Princesses. There was no escape. "Cadance!" the purple alicorn cried.

The pistol was steadied and pointed towards Cadance. "Tell me: what did you hope to achieve here? The dragons have tormented our village; we will defend our settlements. What business do Equestrians have shoving their muzzles where they're not wanted?"

"You're not defending yourselves!" Twilight barked, "You're sending men to the Dragon Realm to slay them in cold blood!"

"As much as they have done to us!" the unnamed leader argued.

"I highly doubt that." Cadance interrupted, "Princess Duciel travelled to the Crystal Empire to talk with me. The dragons of the Realm had no idea where you were sending your men from, and the King himself was vehemently against fighting back - as are we. We want to settle this peacefully, and we can't do that until we know exactly what's going on here. Who are you?"

The sharp-suited man withdrew his weapon, not holstering it, but keeping it in hand as he relaxed himself. "I am King Lydda, and if you wish to speak then you shall refer to me appropriately."

"Yes, Your Highness." Cadance bowed; Twilight followed suit.

The King twisted his face disapprovingly as he looked around. "I don't care much for discussing politics in a peasant's field." he explained, "Accompany me in the castle. My men will escort you." he chuckled to himself as he turned and lead the way.

Spike was stood in front of Captain Espoir, feigning confidence to overshadow his trembling fears. The volcano rumbled below their feet as Twilight's faithful assistant dictated his orders. "The first thing I want you to do is find the King. He's in the forest at the bottom of the mountain. Bring him back here."

Espoir immediately snarled at the request. However, he was quite happy to let the baby dragon make decisions that he thought were a waste of time or would, at least in his own mind, help confirm Spike's incompetence. The Captain pointed to two of his men by separating the index and middle finger of his right claw, closing them together and waving them towards the exit of the palace as a gesture to signify that he wanted them to find the King. Espoir's two chosen companions acknowledged their silent command and saluted their leader before taking off to carry out their duties. "Consider it done." the Captain grinned. Spike was caught slightly off-guard that his demand had been so swiftly followed. "Anything else?"

Spike stumbled over his thoughts. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Cadance earlier about the Crystal Trade. "Crystals!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Espoir twisted his head and stared at the baby dragon in confusion. "Crystals?" he questioned.

"Yeah!" Spike smiled, "Princess Duciel had been talking to Cadance about bringing crystals to the Realm from the Crystal Empire to help defend against the Heroes. Do you know anything about that?"

The Captain nodded, "There's a very particular gem which can be used against the Heroes and can only be found in the Crystal Empire. We call it the Manifest Crystal. It takes energy from the holder to generate crystal spikes which manifest from under ground - hence the name."

"The Crystal Empire is really far away, though, and the Heroes could attack at any time, but..." Spike was conflicted, "we need to be ready for them. How quickly do you think you could get there, grab the crystals and get back?"

"It could take hours." Espoir insincerely fretted, "We'd have to leave immediately, and the Realm would be near defenceless in our absence."

Spike frowned, "Do you not have any more guards or anything?"

"We would be forced to draft the other dragons of the Realm. They could fight - all dragons can - but without training or enough armour, they'd be slaughtered." the Captain explained.

"But what choice do we have? I mean we could get lucky; the Heroes might not attack while you're gone, right?" Spike sweated with nervousness.

"You want to base your decisions on luck?" Espoir snorted.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Spike scowled.

The Captain laughed, "What's wrong? Feeling the pressure? Why don't you run home to your precious little ponies and leave the fight to us?" he goaded.

Spike growled, unable to keep his temper at bay. "Go!" he barked, "Go to the Crystal Empire, get those crystals and get back here! But before you go, you're going to warn the other dragons to be ready for an attack on the Realm! Got it?" Spike's anger flared.

Espoir nodded, "Fine, but may the fall of the Realm be on your shoulders."

Before Spike had a chance to respond, Captain Espoir and the remaining dragons shot out of the palace to follow their orders. The baby dragon was completely alone in the silence of the grand building, leaving him with only his thoughts on the situation. He sulked, "I hope I'm doing the right thing..."

Peace Talks

King Lydda lead the way to the castle. Above a large wooden drawbridge hung a wide banner held up by iron spikes on both sides and in the middle. The banner was made from coloured fabric, depicting various things from rolling hills to armed men with swords gathering at a settlement and appearing to slay a manticore; the images separated by gold fabric and lined in golden tassels. On the roof of the castle, metal poles stood tall, the breeze occasionally flapping the flags attached to them, though not enough to clearly make out which flag it was.

The drawbridge was held up by long iron chains hooked through loops nailed to the wall of the castle. A couple of men came running out to untie the chains from the anchors they were tied to on the floor. Then, gripping the chains tightly, the two men slowly lowered the bridge for the King, his men, and the Princesses to enter. The drawbridge slammed into the soft ground, imprinting itself on the floor. The two men then pried open the two giant, arching doors that lead inside and stood just inside them to salute their King as he passed by.

Through the castle entrance there was a courtyard; the walls were lined with plants and flowers of various colours. By both corners were entrances to stairwells the guards could climb up and down from the castle walls. In front of them stood a large cobblestone house which stood tall above the outer walls. The doors which lead inside were made of a dark, thick wood, and were engraved with flowers. Here, King Lydda dismissed all but two of his men.

The doors were pulled open from inside, revealing a large, open hall. Made from the same cobbles as the rest of the castle, it was dark and dainty. Two corridors sprouted off down either side and in front of them was an open staircase which split at the back wall and spiralled around the edges of the walls, leading up to the higher levels. Atop, where the stairs split, was another door. The King took a hold of the door handles in each hand and lead the way into what looked like a large dining room.

In the centre of the room was a long, wooden table, stretching lengthways from the entrance at the front to the large glass windows at the rear. The wood was a light pine colour and draped in a long, red table cloth complete with golden trim which draped over the head and foot ends of the table, though not the sides. At the ends where the cloth overhung the table, the cloth narrowed to a point and a single golden tassel dropped down from said point.

Surrounding the table were chairs of similar ilk. They, too, were pine, cushioned with red felt on the seat and back rests and fastened down with golden pins. Lydda made his way to his chair, placing himself elegantly at the head of the table. The Princesses traversed up toward the top of the table and both awkwardly sat on chairs a couple of spaces down from the head. Unfortunately, both were left uncomfortable as the chairs were not designed to accommodate their specially shaped plots. The two guards who came in stood behind them a little further down the table, standing completely still with their spears pointed skyward. Their armour glistened in the sunlight which had just began peering out from between the clouds.

The King coughed lightly, staring at the Princesses for a moment before opening the talks. "So..." he began, his voice reverberating quietly. A long pause followed; the silence was deafening. He eventually took in a breath and continued, "You've come here seeking peace. Where would you like to start?" he asked, observing the Princesses, waiting to see which one would begin.

"Actually," Twilight opened, "what you said out there; you were right, I know nothing about you or your people. Perhaps we could start from there. Where do your kind come from?"

Lydda grinned in amusement at the question, "We originally came from the west many aeons ago, from a large and magnificent expanse of land you ponies now refer to as Equestria."

Twilight's eyes opened wide and her eyebrows scrunched in such a way that suggested stunned surprise. "You're from Equestria?"

"Well, our ancestors were." he clarified, "We were exiled."

"By who?" Twilight queried.

Lydda was bemused by the ignorance shown. "Princess Celestia." he confessed.

Twilight shook her head, "Celestia has banished creatures from Equestria before, yes: Tirek, Discord, Sombra, Nightmare Moon and The Sirens amongst many more, but she always has her reasons. I doubt she would have thrown your ancestors out of Equestria without reason."

"Her reason was control. Nothing more. Our ancestors fought alongside ponies for generations. Megan Williams was there when Tirek was banished to Tartarus having been defeated by Rainbow of Light. More were there at the fall of Ponyland. Our ancestors even assisted Celestia in locating the Elements of Harmony, though were blissfully unaware of the power of the Elements. Celestia saw only power after becoming a wielder of the Elements. She destroyed an entire Kingdom for the sake of King Sombra, she punished Discord by sentencing him a thousand years consciously entombed in stone, and banished Nightmare Moon to a life of solitude for a millennium. These are hardly the actions of the all encompassing leader she claims to be."

Twilight was miffed, unable to let the King mercilessly attack Celestia's name, "She was defending Equestria!" she growled, "Tirek tried to take the magic of Equestria for himself, Discord brought pain and suffering, King Sombra enslaved an entire Kingdom, and Nightmare Moon almost destroyed Equestria! She had no other option!" the Princess argued.

King Lydda, however, continued to berate her mentor. "The Princess demanded power and used what ever excuse she deemed fit. If it wasn't in the name of what she called 'peace', 'love', 'tolerance' or 'harmony', she'd banish it. Our ancestors saw through her tyranny, so when Nightmare Moon challenged her, they stood against Celestia, but were eventually overpowered, having relied on Equestrian magic which had been stripped from them. They escaped Equestria and were forced to make settlements in the harsh eastern lands to avoid capture by the Princess and the EUP. We've been damned to obscurity ever since, living on the outskirts of the land your Princess fought so hard to control."

Twilight dismissed his claims of fighting alongside Luna. "Now I've read plenty about the history of the Celestial War, but there's no mention of any humans being involved."

Lydda chortled, "Of course not. You don't want your unrelenting followers to realise you attempted genocide."

Twilight still denied the allegations, "She would never do such a thing!" she persisted.

Cadance jumped in to the conversation, backing up Twilight, "She's right. This doesn't sound anything like the Celestia we know."

"Then perhaps you don't know your Princess nearly as much as you think." King Lydda claimed.

Twilight sighed, contemplating a solution, "Okay," she began, deliberating over every word she was about to say, "and what about this war between your kind and the dragons, how did that start?"

The King took a moment to mull over the events before explaining, sitting back in his chair and relaxing himself. "I was dealing with some diplomatic matters with the griffons when I was informed that a dragon had perched itself inside the boundaries of one of our villages," he explained, spreading his arms in such a way as to signify that the village they were in was the one being referred to, "and cut off one of our land's primary sources of fresh water."

"The water from the mountains and the lake?" Cadance asked.

"Precisely." the King confirmed. "The locals had tried to peacefully relocate the dragon, but he refused. After a few days, the village was completely bereft of water and the villagers were becoming ill. They sent a message out to me to help them deal with the situation, to which, of course, I agreed. I brought my finest men with me. We reasoned with the dragon at first, but when peaceful resolution seemed impossible, we resorted to more drastic measures. The dragon fled."

"I'm guessing it didn't end there, though..." Twilight presumed.

"Correct. The dragon returned days later with others in tow. They scorched a large portion of the village. Lives were lost. I couldn't sit by and watch the slaughter of my people, so we left the village in search of the dragons' dwelling."

"Which you found." Cadance added.

"Indeed." Lydda acknowledged, "Worse still, my daughter went missing not long after that."

"Your daughter?" Cadance questioned, "Why would you bring her?"

"She enjoys accompanying me on my royal duties. She'd have it no other way." Lydda smiled.

"So you weren't attacking the dragons without just cause; you were protecting your people and trying to find your daughter." Twilight stated.

The King saw Twilight's first statement as an attack on his honour, and replied as such, "Of course I had just cause. What kind of leader would I be if I encouraged unprovoked violence? I'll leave that to you ponies and those dragons, thank you."

Twilight snorted at the suggestion of ponies being violent and was about to reply, but her attention was taken by the sight out of the window. She stared in disbelief at the approaching danger. Cadance caught her glare and glanced out of the window. The pink alicorn shot up off her chair in shock. King Lydda observed the ponies' sudden fright in confusion.

"Look out!" Twilight screamed. The room became temporarily engulfed in darkness, spurring the King to leap from his seat and find out what was happening.

"It's them!" he shouted, as three extremely large dragons circled around, torching the village and the fields with their fiery breath. The King darted out of the room and out of the castle gates, drawing his sword as he sprinted. "At arms!" he bellowed. As the villagers screamed and fled, dozens of armed men marched toward the dragons, hurling spears and drawing their swords. Twilight and Cadance galloped out of the castle to help in the battle.

As Lydda's men ran to attack the dragons, Twilight and Cadance both attempted containment spells on the dragons. The spells, however, were deflected. "How can they shield themselves from our magic?" Twilight yelled.

Cadance pointed out gems they were wearing around their necks. "They're Manifest Crystals! They're extremely powerful. They give the wearer a natural magical defence, and they can also strike with crystals which shoot up from the ground. Be careful, and stay off the ground!" Cadance exclaimed.

Suddenly, and without obvious reason, the dragons ceased torching the village and began to flee. King Lydda did not take kindly to the attack. "They have threatened us for the last time!" he decreed. "This ends now!" he yelled. His men cheered as he swung his sword in the direction of the Dragon Realm. "Onward!" he ordered.

Cadance and Twilight looked at each other in horror. "We need to get back to the Dragon Realm before they do." Cadance declared, "We have to warn them!"

"No time to waste. Let's go!" Twilight agreed, as the Princesses beat their wings and soared off towards the Realm.

Hope

The attacking dragons fled swiftly in the direction of the Dragon Realm. Twilight and Cadance chased them hard, but were no match for the speed of the dragons. King Lydda and his men were slower, marching at a brisk walk through the forest. The most direct route to the Realm passed not far from the lake. The scouters of both Princesses bleeped, showing a single high power level by the lake.

Cadance was distracted by her memories of passing two lower power levels by the lake earlier. "Twilight. You need to warn the Realm of the attack. I'm going to check out this power level."

"What?" Twilight questioned in disbelief that her fellow alicorn would abandon such an urgent matter for the sake of one power level.

"I passed two power levels around here when I was trying to find the village. I ignored them because I'd lost contact with you..."

"It can wait, though, surely?" Twilight pleaded.

"Well we can't do much to defend the Dragon Realm. Our magic does nothing against those crystals and the humans can't hurt them, either." Cadance paused, "I think the dragons are luring the humans into a slaughter..."

Twilight became wide-eyed, "But Spike was in charge. Spike wouldn't make an order like-" The Princess stopped her sentence, realising the potential outcome of having left Spike alone in the midst of a horde of war-hungry dragons. "Oh no, I've made a terrible mistake!" she cried, "What if they-" the purple princess pony panicked, growling at her own short-sightedness, "I have to rescue him!" she yelled, darting off without warning.

Cadance quickly tapped to open communications between the scouters, "I shouldn't be long, Twilight. I'm going down to check this out - it might be nothing. I'll be right behind you after that. Just remember that the dragons who attacked saw us and they might try to attack you if they see you. Don't go rushing in to save Spike, because they might be planning on trapping us, too. Take your time and observe what's going on from afar. Be safe, Twilight." she tapped the button on her scouter once more to close her end of the transmission and waited a few seconds for any reply. None came.

The pink alicorn turned her attention to the growing power level down by the lake. It was coming from the opposite side from where she was fluttering, so the Princess glided down silently toward the water. The power level was hidden amongst the trees and couldn't be seen from the edge of the water; her only choice was to venture into the trees.

Unfortunately, the pink coat of the Princess wasn't going to do much to camouflage her. Despite that, she crouched down and crept forward towards the source of the reading. She pushed leaves aside and took extra care to make as little noise as possible. The scene was tranquil, with only the sounds of the local wildlife to be heard. Birds chirped, branches swayed and leaves rustled as Cadance silently stalked her target. The reading was so close she was almost on top of it. The final leaf was turned and Cadance was met with the sight of a beautiful, blonde-haired human wearing a translucent blue dress sat facing away from her on the twig and leaf covered floor of the forest.

Cadance took a breath and loudly whispered "Hello?" The girl leapt from her place on the floor, turning to face the Princess. She'd looked as if she'd been crying. The girl sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and readying her stance as if she was either about to attack, defend or flee. The look on her face as she was confronted by a majestic pink alicorn was one of slight confusion. Cadance attempted to calm her, "It's okay, it's okay. My name's Princess Cadance. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help." she explained, "What's you name?"

The girl was still slightly taken aback, "I'm Princess Angelica." she answered, nervously.

Cadance was hit with a mixture of relief, excitement and surprise, "You're King Lydda's daughter?" she quizzed.

Angelica's eyebrows came closer together, "Yes." she answered, "You know my father?"

"I met him earlier today. He told me the dragons took you. What are you doing out here?"

Every word from Cadance seemed to confuse Angelica more and more, "Took me?" she questioned, "No. I've been coming down here to the lake for a while now. Ever since the dragons attacked the village, my father and I haven't met eye-to-eye over how we should deal with them. He bayed for blood, whereas I pushed for a more reasonable approach." she chuckled to herself, "It's funny; he'll do anything for me. He tried being peaceful about it at first because of me, but that didn't stop him arguing that we should have been taking a more 'direct' approach. I wandered off to the lake to get some peace and quiet."

Cadance awkwardly chuckled, "Well he's definitely taking the more direct approach now. The dragons have torched part of the village and your father has responded by declaring an attack on the Dragon Realm. He and his men are marching there right now, believing you're held captive inside."

Angelica's face turned to dread, "What?" she cried, "He can't!" she wept.

"He is." Cadance explained sternly, "What he's going to do isn't the question right now - the dragons have the Manifest Crystals; he and his men are marching into a trap - the question we need to be asking ourselves is what are we going to do to stop this from happening?" the alicorn asked. Angelica took deep breaths to calm herself, shutting her eyes tight. Her mind raced, remembering the events leading to this point and fearing the events that were about to unfold. She reached a hand down the front of her dress, pulling out a necklace. Attached to the end was a blue crystal just a little smaller than her hand. "Where did you get that?" Cadance queried.

"Princess Duciel gave it to me. She wanted to use the Manifest Crystals to defend her Realm from us. She gave me this one in case I needed to defend our village." the blonde-haired Princess explained.

"That's three for the dragons, one for us." Cadance mumbled to herself, "There may be hope yet." she smiled. "And Duciel - she seems to have went missing, too - do you know where she is?"

Angelica nodded, "She's on her way back to the Realm. She's probably already back there by now." she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Cadance questioned.

"Our last conversation..." Angelica recalled, painfully, "We're two hearts of the same colour on different sides of a conflict." she grit her teeth, "We both knew this would end in a bloody battle. We spent last night looking up into the night sky. We wished on a shooting star that this could all be over so we could be friends without having to sneak off." the Princess sobbed, "Now we might never see each other again."

Cadance approached Angelica and stroked the human Princess with the side of her head. "There's still time. It's not too late, trust me." she smiled, hoping to elicit a positive response from the cute blonde-haired girl. Angelica attempted a smile back. Cadance turned away and hunkered down. "Jump on," she proposed, "We'll find Princess Duciel, stop the fight, and have this all sorted by sun down. Okay?"

"How?" Angelica wondered.

"In Equestria, I'm known as the Princess of Love. That's got to stand for something, right?" Cadance grinned. "I've got a plan. We're going to be alright." she reaffirmed.

Betrayal

Twilight's dash to the Dragon Realm was in its closing stages; the volcano was close by, but the dragons who attacked the village had seemingly disappeared. As she soared towards the mouth of the Realm, power levels slowly began to appear. One by one, readings from dragons on the ground, in the air, and inside the volcano started to appear. The purple alicorn figured the best course of action would be to dive straight into the palace and locate Spike, assuming that the aggressors wouldn't attack her, and certainly wouldn't attack inside the palace.

The Princess pointed herself at the mouth of the volcano, streamlined her body and pierced the air as she shot towards the palace. Several dragons turned their gazes towards the purple and pink streaks of light left behind from her dive, but none cared enough to let it distract them for more than a few seconds. Twilight gracefully swooped through the entrance of the palace and into the main hallway.

"Spike?" Twilight called. "Spike!" she yelled, hoping for a response.

A few moments of silence lingered before she heard the pattering of feet against the stone floors followed by the familiar ring of her assistant's voice, "Twilight!" he cried, bursting suddenly into view from an adjacent hall. "You're back!" he beamed, leaping towards his carer and embracing her with a loving hug.

Following him shortly after came the stomping of several large dragons. Twilight was caught somewhat off guard, "Who are these, Spike?" she pondered, staring up into the eyes of two large, rough-looking dragons.

"Oh, well I used the War Horn to call Captain Espoir, and these two big guys are two of his lackeys!" he beamed with excitement, "I told them to bring the King back to his throne, and guess what?" he grinned as more huge, stomping feet approached.

Twilight's eyes lit up as King Depaix appeared from around the corner, "Miss Sparkle," he acknowledged. "how did the talks go?"

The lit face immediately dropped. "That's what I came back to tell you. I didn't get much out of them, but they're creatures known as 'humans', not 'Heroes' like we were calling them. North-East of here is a village full of them, and three dragons from this Realm did attack them. You told me you didn't know where they lived..." Twilight pause, implying she wanted reaffirmation he was telling the truth about that.

"I told you we don't know the location of their settlement." King Depaix confirmed, somewhat offended by implied accusations to the contrary.

"I thought as much." Twilight nodded, "There are a small group of dragons in the Realm who are acting out of line, provoking the humans to attack."

"Who would be so stupid?" the King questioned, "Not only to provoke another species, but lead them to attack your own home? To have them mercilessly slaughter your own people?" he grunted angrily.

"I don't know," Twilight admitted, "but that's not the biggest thing we have to worry about right now, you see, because whilst Cadance and I were talking to their King, the dragons attacked again." she fearfully informed the King, "Their village is torched and lives have been lost. They're marching this way right now, and we can't stop them."

Depaix scowled in fury, "Then I'm afraid there's no other option. We must defend ourselves. This is war!" the King decreed, stomping off at a blinding pace down the hall and into the throne room. He immediately noticed the War Horn was missing from its holder. "Spike!" he called, turning around and heading back into the halls to confront him. "Where is the War Horn, Spike?"

Spike racked his brain, trying to remember where he placed it after sending Espoir and his men on their duties. "I-I... I don't know!" he panicked.

King Depaix did not appreciate the answer, "Without the War Horn, I can't prepare the Realm for war!" he bellowed. The King closed his eyes, took a breath and calmed himself down. "Right. If we can't inform the Realm of their attack, we'll have to defend the Kingdom ourselves." he declared, "We shall have to retrieve the Manifest Crystals."

Spike cocked his head, "But King, I sent the Captain to retrieve the Crystals from the Crystal Empire. He should be back shortly - he's been gone a while."

The King stared back at Spike in confusion. "The Crystals are in our armoury - Espoir knows that."

Twilight interrupted, "Cadance mentioned Manifest Crystals. The dragons who attacked the village were wearing them." she explained.

"Impossible!" the King snorted, putting the all-too-obvious picture together, yet still choosing to deny his own realisation. The ground trembled beneath their feet. The whole group were caught off guard by the intense rumbling coming from the volcano, but the King was too enraged to care. He turned to Espoir's two lackeys for an explanation. "You two, explain to me what Espoir is doing or I will have you banished from my Kingdom!" he roared.

The two dragons raised their guard, "Espoir isn't planning anything!" one of them argued.

The King snorted, "Balderdash!" he insisted. Suddenly, the attentions of the group were taken by the noise of fire, metal and screams. The humans were attacking. The King looked back at the lackeys, "You two, redeem yourselves immediately. Take up arms and defend our land!" he ordered. They immediately complied, rushing out of the palace to join the attack. Next, he turned to Twilight. "You ponies wield considerable power. Use it to fight the onslaught."

Twilight stepped back, considering the King's demands, "Look, I appreciate you need to defend yourselves, but getting myself involved could drag Equestria into this war and I don't think I can do that..." she said sheepishly.

The King bore his teeth, leaning his face into that of the Princess', "You made yourself a part of this war the moment you stepped on our soil. My Kingdom faces eradication and my people face death! If you wish for us to participate in any form of resolution between our two species, you'll do what is right and do what you can to stop this!" he bellowed.

Twilight, however, didn't back down from her beliefs, "No." she said, defiantly.

"Then consider yourself on their side of this conflict. Get out of my palace before I deal with you myself."

Twilight stared into the eyes of King Depaix, frantically trying to figure out a way to resolve the conflict peacefully. Unfortunately, she couldn't muster up a resolution. "Fine." she agreed as a feeling of defeat swept over her. She turned to Spike and called him along, "Come on, Spike. We're done here."

"Twilight?" Spike cried. He'd never seen Twilight give up like this, but due to his unwavering loyalty he followed without further question. Though as they neared the doors of the palace to leave, Twilight was once again placed at the tip of a drawn sword. King Lydda had made his way through the hoards of dragons, over the top of the volcano and down into the palace entirely on his own.

"Miss Sparkle." he smirked confidently, "Nobody leaves until I get what I came here for..."

Cadance swooped over the forest with as much haste as she could muster, remembering she had someone on her back who'd never flown before. She kept a keen eye on her scouter, hoping to locate Princess Duciel before she reached the palace.

"What do you plan on doing?" Angelica politely asked the Princess.

"As long as the dragons have the Manifest Crystals on them, they'll be protected from magic and physical attacks - nobody will be able to touch them as long as they're wearing them. Our only hope is to remove the crystals, taking away their powers."

"And what about my father?" Angelica mentioned in a concerned manner.

"What about him? I'm not going to hurt him, if that's what you're worried about." Cadance replied.

Angelica shook her head, "I can't say I was worried about that. He carries the pride of our race on his shoulders. He avoids needless violence where possible, but this has escalated very quickly, and the longer it goes on, the more lives are at risk. To defend his citizens, my father will take on just about anyone. The last place you want to be is at the end of his sword." the blonde girl explained. Cadance glided silently, remembering how Twilight had stared down the sword of the King earlier. "He won't back down after that. Even if he doesn't kill you immediately, it's like his mark. He never draws his sword unless he intends to use it."

Cadance realised now that Twilight was in far more danger than she'd anticipated. The good news now was that Cadance had found Angelica; she hoped that returning her to King Lydda would be enough for him to spare Twilight. The pink pony tapped open communications on her scouter. "Twilight?" he called. "Twilight, are you there?"

No response.

"What is that?" Angelica asked.

"It's a little device I made for tracking ponies and giving a reading of their happiness in form of a number. It also lets you communicate with somepony who's wearing one. It only works over relatively short distances, though. We're not quite close enough to the Dragon Realm for us to warn Twilight."

"Twilight?" Angelica queried.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle. My sister-in-law, and the Princess of Friendship in Equestria. She's pretty handy when it comes to sorting out conflicts, and she's saved Equestria from some pretty powerful monsters before. She's pretty experienced with these kinds of situations."

"You think she'll be safe?" the human princess wondered.

"I know Twilight. She'll be fine. That said, it wouldn't hurt to give her a heads up."

The Princesses eventually passed close by the volcano, and it was at this point that the scouter beeped and showed Cadance a power level reading. "There's someone down there. Let's go check it out." Cadance said, swooping down to where the reading was coming from. As she dived, however, two more power levels appeared. "More?" she questioned, stopping short of her mark and fluttering down into cover behind the trees. She let Angelica off her back as she clopped lightly forward to investigate.

It didn't take long for her to notice the large, distinctive bodies of the three dragons who'd attacked the village earlier, merely dossing around, laughing and talking to each other about non-important stuff. They were right on the edge of the tree line, looking up towards the mouth of the volcano as if they were waiting for something... and then she saw it; the humans were already at the edge of the forest with King Lydda leading the way up the side, and the three dragons had the perfect vantage point for watching the battle unfold.

Cadance backed out immediately, rushing back as quietly as possible to Angelica. She ushered the human Princess onto her back and took off carefully and quietly. "The readings were coming from the dragons who attacked earlier. They're sitting watching your father lead his men up the mountain. We have to find Princes Duciel quickly." the pink pony Princess explained.

"What about the dragons? We should capture them." Angelica contested.

"With what? We don't stand a chance even with your crystal. They have three; we'd be outnumbered." Cadance said glumly, "I don't know what they're planning, but we don't have the resources to deal with them."

The Princess flew away from the dragons in search of Princess Duciel. The dragons from the Realm noticed Lydda and his men almost as soon as they'd broken the tree line. Climbing up the side of the volcano, the humans were met with a number of dragons, flying around, swooping down and attempting to scorch the soldiers. Angelica was distressed, watching the battle unfold. "Drop me down!" she demanded.

"What? No!" Cadance objected.

"I told you, drop me down!" she insisted.

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"Which is better than sitting up here watching them all die!" Angelica declared.

Cadance shook her head, "I can't let you do that. It's too dangerous to go down there. Returning you to your father alive might just be enough to end the fighting, but we also need to find Duciel and bring her back to King Depaix."

Angelica was still adamant about fighting, but gave up arguing as she could do little from so high above the ground. She instead watched painfully as her father fought through one dragon after another to get to the top of the volcano. Cadance's scouter, meanwhile, was being overrun with power levels, making it impossible to distinguish Princess Duciel from those locked in combat. After several minutes of hopeless searching, the pink pony princess caught a glimpse of Lydda arriving at the top of the volcano and racing inside.

"He's inside!" Cadance worried, frantically tapping away at her scouter in an attempt to talk to Twilight. Unfortunately, the scouter continually failed to connect to Twilight. "We've got no choice." Cadance fretted, "We're going to have to go in, too."

Vivat Rex

The atmosphere around the Dragon Realm had become grim. A dark cloud was shifting over the land, the temperature had increased immensely and the distinctive smell of brimstone lingered in the air. The ground below shook violently, as if the wrath of an ancient God had descended. All around, the battle raged; flames billowed from the mouths of the dragons as they defended their land. Heroes did what they could to protect themselves from the intense heat, and struck back with their spears and swords. Losses were suffered in almost equal measure by both sides.

Inside the palace, the tension increased. Princess Twilight stared down the edge of King Lydda's sword, whose body was torn from battle and clothes were covered in the blood of both the dragons and his fellow soldiers. His face was cut from a close encounter with the claws of an attacking dragon, and part of his jacket torched black by passing flames. King Depaix, his wings broken and bent, looked on with rage, in contrast to Spike, who was stricken with fear at seeing his Princess held just inches away from potential death. The two lackeys of Captain Espoir fought outside.

On the outskirts of the battle, Princess Cadance and Angelica flew toward the palace, doing their best to avoid the carnage unfolding in front of them, still unsure of Princess Duciel's whereabouts. Captain Espoir and the final two members of his elite team prepared themselves to carry out their plans.

Cadance swooped down into the mouth of the volcano, locating the entrance to the palace and swiftly glided through into the main hall. Twilight beamed, "Cadance!".

King Lydda tilted his head as Cadance fluttered down beside him, carrying his lost daughter on her back. "Angelica!" King Lydda smiled, maintaining his stance, refusing to let his guard down with Twilight.

Angelica hopped off of Cadance's back and ran over to her father, locking him in her embrace. "Father!" she cried.

"I found her in the forest by the lake." Cadance stated, "It seems the dragons hadn't held her captive after all."

Angelica released her father from her arms, "I met Princess Duciel in the forest, by chance. We never wanted to fight, so we met to try and figure out a way to settle this conflict peacefully. She even gave me this to help protect us." she revealed, showing her father the Manifest Crystal, "It's enchanted. It could have protected the village from attack." the blonde-haired princess explained, putting the crystal away. King Depaix grinned subtly, acknowledging his daughter's kind gesture.

Lydda's anger had begun to noticeably subside, finally pulling back his sword from Twilight. He stared towards the group of dragons and ponies in front of him before settling his gaze upon Princess Cadance. "My daughter is safe and for that I thank you, Princess Cadance, but the situation remains; my people have suffered a heavy loss - a village has been all but destroyed - and justice for this atrocity has yet to be given." he stared towards the King, "I have no interest in talking 'peace' with your kind, but if a satisfactory resolution is met, I will call off my men, make our retreat and never return," he declared, "and the only thing that will satisfy that resolution will be the head of the dragons responsible in my hands."

"If it's my head you desire, then it is here for the taking," the voice of Captain Espoir boomed from the end of the hall, "but the war, King Lydda, is already lost. Your men have been defeated by myself and my team of Elite warriors, with a little help of some marvellous crystals provided to us by the ponies who stand before you." he smirked, "I can overpower you with little effort, King. Surrender yourself now and I may spare you." he decreed as his team entered the hall, landing either side of him, two with their own Manifest Crystal hanging from their necks, and the other two darting through the other side of the group to surround them.

"Never!" King Lydda bellowed, brandishing his sword towards Espoir's face.

The Captain shook his head, "You sound like you need a little more convincing." he grinned, menacingly. The gem around his neck glowed a brilliant shade of cyan and fired out a crystallised beam directly towards Twilight. The crystal beam engulfed Twilight as blackened magical crystals thrust themselves out of the ground from below her, surrounding her on all sides. The purple princess was magically immobilised. Cadance hurriedly attempted to charge the Captain, but the magic of the Manifest Crystal cast by one of Espoir's men stopped her in her tracks, sending her crashing to the ground and immobilising her as well.

In response, Princess Angelica fired her magic towards Espoir. The Captain was wise to the idea that he may be attacked, and his lightning quick reactions allowed him to dodge the blast, which went soaring toward one of his men, encasing him in his own prison. Espoir swiftly returned fire, trapping Angelica. King Depaix was next to charge Espoir. Spike saw the inevitable, however, and dashed alongside him. Espoir fired his crystal at the King, but Spike nobly dived in front, taking the hit and allowing the King to continue his advance.

Depaix slammed into Espoir and his last remaining guard, sending him barrelling out of the palace towards the cliff edge. Unfortunately for Depaix, his right-hand man was on point and managed to spurt out a small beam of magic, locking the King's claws inside crystallised shackles. Depaix was caught off-guard by this and fell immediately to the ground. King Lydda was quickly apprehended by the two lackeys, dropping his sword on the ground in front of both himself and Depaix.

Espoir gathered himself up from the floor, brushing off the dirt and dust. His laugh rang throughout the palace. "Outnumbered," he grunted, "out-gunned," he chortled, "and outsmarted!" he jeered. "This is where your reign ends, Depaix." Espoir declared, marching over to the King and picking him up single-handedly by the neck, jamming his claws into his scales. The King's bellows were silenced by the pressure of the Captain's grip on his throat.

Espoir dragged the King over to the ledge, throwing him down just inches away from a long drop into the raging lake of fire. The King coughed as he struggled to regain his breath, "W-why?" he spluttered.

The Captain's nostrils flared at the question, expelling a cloud of smoke in disgust at the sight of the broken ruler of their land. "You were always too soft, Depaix. Your subjects have lost all respect for you, many of them have died because of your negligence in dealing with the threat of the Heroes."

"You were the one who started this conflict. Many have died because of you, Espoir, not me."

"Perhaps, but try telling that to those throughout the Realm who have suffered loss." The Captain pulled the War Horn from his back, and threw it in the molten lake. "You were banished because your subjects longed for a King who could lead them. Well, good thing for them they have me to take over." he smirked, "You die here." he leaned down to meet the King on his level, "As for your daughter; if she ever returns, you can expect her to suffer the same fate as you."

Espoir's threat against Duciel sent Depaix's rage spilling over the edge. He let out a mighty roar, swinging his shackles at the Captain with such force it shattered the Manifest Crystal into a thousand pieces. His attack was short-lived, however, as Espoir grabbed the defenceless King by the throat, locking him in a choke hold. The Captain flapped his wings, lifting them both slightly above the ground, slowly choking Depaix.

"Dad!" the high pitched squeal of a young dragon called out from the mouth of the volcano. Espoir spied Princess Duciel sprinting down towards the palace. He threw the King with all his might towards the fiery pool, but fell just short of his aim. The King tumbled off the edge, saved only by the shackles catching themselves on a small jagged rock. Espoir slammed his body down onto the ledge in front of the King. The two stared into each other's eyes; the King's filled with dread, and Espoir's filled with pride of victory.

He reached down to the King, grabbed him by both wrists and leaned in with a manic look in his eyes. "Vivat Rex" he smirked, lifting the King's shackles free of the jagged rock and dropping him into the lake.

"No!" the cries of young Princess Duciel echoed far and wide, reverberating off every surface and drowning out the sounds of the active volcano as she witnessed her father plunge into the magma. The hearts of the Princesses, Spike, and King Lydda collectively sank as they helplessly watched the tragic events unfold before them. Tears welled up in Duciel's eyes as she continued her swift advance towards the Captain.

A streaking crystallised beam of blue light almost caught Espoir by surprise. Duciel had a Manifest Crystal of her own and attempted to cage the Captain. Unfortunately, her attacks were too inaccurate and coming in from too far away to pose any threat. Espoir, now bereft of his own crystal, called in his back up to deal with her. The two dragons guarding King Lydda flocked towards Duciel, leaving him completely unguarded.

The King dashed to his sword, making a break for Espoir. Roaring as he charged, Lydda plunged the sword into Espoir's stomach, stabbing him fatally. The Captain fell to the ground as King Lydda twisted the sword inside him and withdrew it swiftly. Duciel, meanwhile, was coming under fire from the other two dragons wielding their crystals, but the Princess was proving to be a match for the two of them, deflecting their attacks with her Crystal.

The sound of the wounded Captain alerted his nearby lackeys, who had been distracted by the entrance of the Princess. One unlucky dragon was slain before he'd had the chance to react, but the other was quick enough to take a swipe. King Lydda, however, was lucky enough to only be grazed by the protruding claws of the dragon, and dodged out of the way.

The ruckus was enough to distract one of the warriors who was in pursuit of the Princess, choosing to drop the fight with the Princess and fly back to help the fallen Captain. Duciel quickly overcame the remaining fighter, sending him plummeting into the wall of the volcano and locking him inside a crystal cage. Duciel ran by him down towards the entrance to the palace, where King Lydda was under fire from the remaining two dragons.

The King attempted to deflect the magic blast of the Manifest Crystal by using his sword. Unfortunately, the spell instead encased the sword in heavy black crystals, making it too weighty to hold up. The sword fell to the ground, dragging King Lydda forward into the swinging claws of the other dragon. The King was sent flying across the ledge back through the entrance to the palace.

The dragon holding the last Manifest Crystal cast his spell on King Lydda, sealing him in place. Duciel finally caught up with the battle, taking this opportunity to strike the dragon with the Crystal, rendering him useless. At this moment, everyone who was not already dead was now held inside the prisons, bar Princess Duciel and the last remaining lackey of the slain Captain Espoir. The two leered at each other, the Princess with the clear advantage, wielding the power of the crystal.

The Princess, however, lowered her stance almost instantly. "I don't want to fight." she stated, shaking her head and throwing the crystal down onto the floor beside her. The whole group looked on in silence. "What is your name?" she asked.

The lackey stared down at the crystal, then back at the Duciel and sighed, "Damour" he replied, keeping up his guard.

The Princess slowly approached Damour, shaking her head in disagreement with his continued aggression. "Please," she insisted "I've witnessed enough death these past moons. No more." she pleaded. Duciel looked around at the group of trapped creatures. Damour lowered his guard slightly, himself observing the destruction from the struggle. "We don't have to go on like this. We have a chance here to do the right thing." she broke down weeping as images of her father drowning in the lake suddenly caught up with her. "Please," she cried, falling to her knees in distress, "no more..."

Damour watched as the Princess fell to pieces in grief. He knelt down to the her and lifted up her chin, meeting her eye to eye. "No more." he assured her.

The Princess smiled through her tears, "Thank you." she grinned. The conflict was over. A wave of relief swept over the room from ponies, humans and dragons alike. Damour dried the tears of Duciel, picked her up on her feet and nodded in respect of the Princess. Duciel picked up the Manifest Crystal from the floor, "I can use this to free everyone from their prisons." she explained, walking over to Angelica's prison.

The crystal glowed, encasing the crystals in a blue aura and pushing them back into the ground. Princess Angelica was free. The two embraced, happy to be reunited. The human Princess ran over to her father, using her own crystal to free him from his encasement. The blonde-haired girl and her father hugged, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

Next, she turned her attention towards the pink alicorn. "Cadance? I'm surprised to see you here." she squeaked as she receded the crystals surrounding the Princess of Love.

"I heard you'd gone missing; I came to find you. I had no idea things were so bad here." she frowned.

"They weren't. When I came to see you, there were just a few Heroes. It looks like there was a whole army given how many Heroes there are outside."

"Yeah," Twilight piped up "that's right; where is everybody else?"

Duciel briefly glanced towards Captain Espoir, "A lot of them are still alive, held captive by the Manifest Crystals across the mountain. The battling had ceased; that's how I was able to get here." she explained.

"That's good, right?" Spike exclaimed, "That means we can save them!"

The Princess' attention was grabbed by the baby dragon as his sudden outburst of excitement quickly diminished. She patted over towards him, entranced by the near mirror image. The only noticeable differences between the two were Duciel's slight height advantage and shinier scales, "And who are you?" she asked inquisitively.

"I'm Spike" he mumbled, perplexed at the sight of the Princess, "I came here with Twilight and Princess Cadance to help solve the problems you were having with the Heroes." he murmured.

"Aww, that's sweet. Well I'm glad to see you're all alright," she smiled politely as she released him. "and you're right, we can help those who are still alive, but there has still been an unfortunate loss of life, and even a single death is one too many." the Princess frowned. She looked towards the next crystal cage, "You must be Twilight?"

The purple alicorn smiled, "Yes, I am."

"You're a Princess, too?" Duciel questioned.

"Yes. I'm the Princess of Friendship in Equestria. I heard there were problems here, so I came to lend a hoof," Twilight's smile dropped, "but given the destruction here, I don't think I've done a very good job of solving this problem."

"Nonsense." The dragon princess claimed, "Sometimes, when someone is in need, there's not a whole lot you can do - you just have to be there for them. You might not be able to change the outcome, but that shouldn't stop you from offering your support," the purple dragon princess declared as she lowered the barriers surrounding Twilight, "and with that," she continued, turning towards the Captain's two trapped lackeys, "I ask you both: are you willing to offer your support in finding a peaceful resolution to this needless conflict?" Princess Duciel queried.

However, before they had a chance to answer, the ground below them began to shudder violently. Magma spewed up over the side of the ledge, landing on the ground in front of the palace. The walls started crumbling and "The volcano!" Damour bellowed, "It's erupting!"

Resolution

The ponies, humans and dragons decided to make their way out of the palace as the lake of fire churned below them. Princess Duciel, however, had other priorities. She dashed towards the last remaining crystal cage, containing one of Captain Espoir's men. "You." she called to grab his attention, "I shall release you on the condition you give up your Manifest Crystal. Do you comply?" she hurriedly asked. The immobilised dragon agreed through his stiffened body and strained vocal chords. Princess Duciel destroyed the cage and held out her claw to receive the crystal. "What is your name?" she wondered.

"Sergeant Bonheur, ma'am." he replied, removing the crystal from his neck and handing it over to the Princess.

"Thank you, Bonheur." she smiled, "Cadance; catch!" she yelled to the pink alicorn who was busy making her escape. The Manifest Crystal hurtled through the air to Cadance who caught it in her teeth. She swiftly slung it over her neck and continued to the exit. "Bonheur," Duciel continued, "we're going to save whoever we can up top. Those with the crystals will free those who are trapped; can I trust you to carry as many humans as you can to safety?"

The Sergeant nodded in acknowledgement, "Of course, ma'am." he agreed. The two trailing dragons followed the group as they ran for the exit.

Upon exit, Duciel immediately ran to the last remaining servant of the deceased Captain, "You there, what's your name?" she asked.

The slightly panicked dragon stared down into the fiery abyss that continued to swell up the walls of the volcano. "Vacité"

"Vacité. I'll release you, but you must give up your crystal. I want you to assist the others here in helping those who are alive above us to escape." The Princess swiftly dealt with the crystal prison as she spoke, but Vacité refused to give up his crystal, instead insisting on making his own escape. "Vacité!" the Princess bellowed, but Vacité refused to acknowledge the Princess' call and continued to make his way.

The volcano trembled. The passage leading to the top and out of the volcano crumbled down and partially disappeared under the molten rocks below. Princess Duciel waved her arms frantically towards the flyers of the group, flagging them down for assistance. Damour, Bonheur, Princess Cadance and Twilight all swooped down to help by picking up Duciel, Angelica, Lydda and Spike and lifting them all to safety.

"Vacité is getting away!" Duciel exclaimed, looking up to the escaping dragon.

Damour took to the skies, "Leave it to me, Princess." he declared, shooting off in pursuit of the cowardly escapee.

Duciel turned to the rest of the group. "Angelica, Cadance; free as many as you can! Free a dragon or two first so they can help Bonheur carry the Heroes to safety."

"What should I do?" asked Twilight.

Duciel pondered, but figured she had nowhere to fit Twilight in her plans, "Take Spike." she said, "There's a lake north-east of here, you'll be safe there. We'll carry those we rescue to the lake. Once we're done here, we'll rendezvous with you there."

The purple alicorn was flustered about not being drafted to help, "I can help with the evacuation." she insisted, "I could help carry someone to safety."

The dragon princess smiled, "Good, well you can start with getting Spike to safety."

Twilight looked towards her little assistant, tilting her head towards him as a suggestion to get on. Spike was defiant, "But I want to help." he sighed.

"I know, Spike, but there's nothing you can do here - you don't have the magic to help set anyone free and you're not big enough to carry anyone." she sighed, "I'm sorry. Come on, we'll get you to safety; I'll catch up with you soon, okay?" Twilight reassured him. The baby dragon frowned, accepting his position, and got on Twilight's back. The pair flew off towards the lake.

The rest of the group battled on trying to free as many dragons and humans as possible. Duciel, Angelica and Cadance concentrated on freeing the prisoners whilst Bonheur and King Lydda reassured their respective citizens that there would be no more fighting, that they can trust one another and to help each other escape.

Damour chased Vacité through the skies, pushing hard to catch his fellow Elite, and it wasn't too long before he'd caught up. The two tangled in the air, grappling each other and throwing punches as they plummeted to the ground. The two fought hard, but eventually released their grip of each other so as to not slam into the floor. They hovered in the sky, pondering each other's next move. "Give me that crystal!" Damour bellowed.

"Never!" Vacité argued, "Why are you defying the orders of the Captain?" he questioned.

"We may have taken orders from Espoir, but we serve the King, not the Captain!"

"The King is dead!" Vacité exclaimed, reminding Damour of the events which had just taken place. "And what now? We let a child rule our land? It's pathetic. You're going soft, Damour, just like the royal family, and look where that has gotten them. Duciel will fall just like her father." Vacité predicted.

"That won't happen." Damour insisted, "Once this is over, I shall protect her, but what's important now is that I get that crystal! There are still lives to be saved down there and I intend on helping any way I can!"

Unfortunately for Damour, Vacité had other plans. He fired up the crystal, its blue aura shining as the magic gathered and fired forth a crystallised beam at Damour. "You're not taking the crystal!" Vacité reiterated, firing off more crystallised magic. Damour decided the best option was to retreat. Vacité continued to throw magic as Damour flew away, and promptly made his escape once he figured he had enough time.

Meanwhile, the situation at the volcano had become dire. The sky was black and red, smoke poured from the mouth of the volcano. Lightning struck within the clouds, temporarily illuminating the scene. The volcano and the surrounding areas looked and smelled like a real life interpretation of Hell. Several explosions were heard from within the volcano as smoke and ash exploded from within, barrelling out and smashing into the mountainside by the dragons, humans and Princess Cadance who were all left desperately attempting to free as many prisoners as possible.

Working against them, mother nature did her best to ensure the most possible damage would be done. Magma began spewing out from the mouth of the volcano and streamed down the sides towards the forest. Duciel, Cadance and Angelica frantically attempted to free more humans and dragons, but the flow of the lava drew closer with every passing second.

Cadance was left facing a nameless human. She regretfully fluttered away from him as the lava teamed towards them. The last thing she saw of him was his face filled with fear and dread, and the last thing she heard of him were his screams, pleading her to help him escape. Unable to cope with her feelings of helplessness towards the situation, Cadance slammed her eyes shut and turned away, unable to watch his demise. She shed a tear as his screaming ceased under the roaring fires.

Duciel was busy freeing a dragon from his crystal cage as the flames approached. As the dragon regained his ability to move, he quickly snatched the Princess and dragged her up into the sky to safety before the lava consumed them both.

Angelica had just finished freeing a dragon from his encasement, "Please, save my father." Angelica pleaded, pointing towards him in the distance as he ran down the mountainside. The dragon flew off to save him, but Angelica opted to risk her life to save one final soul. Another dragon was the nearest helpless body. She darted towards him. His hopeless expression was briefly transformed into one of joy with his sudden expectations of being freed.

Bonheur witnessed the human Princess and observed her recklessness, opting to swoop down and save her from almost certain death. He dove to the Princess' aid and dragged her away from the lava flow, but Angelica was defiant, believing she could save the dragon. She reached out to him as she was pulled away. "No!" she yelled, kicking and screaming as she watched the dragon's expectations disappear under the flowing molten rocks "Noooo!" she cried, "Let me go!" she barked, "I could have saved him!" she insisted, bellowing through her tears. "Get off me!" she repeated, trying to pry herself from Bonheur's grip. The dragon ignored her order, carrying her off towards the lake to rendezvous with the others.

Across the eastern forest, a swarm of dragons could be seen flying towards the lake which provided the human settlement with fresh water. On their backs, each dragon carried three or four humans, and some carried as many as they could muster. Behind them raged the erupting volcano, firing lava, rocks and ash high into the air. The once relatively dormant volcano had now flooded the Dragon Realm. As the flowing lava reached the foot of the mountain, it began to torch the trees which ignited ferociously, their leaves disintegrating into thin air under a veil of intense red and orange flames.

Duciel looked back expecting to feel a mixture of horror and sorrow, but the events had left her so emotionally drained that, for now, she felt very little; she could neither mourn her loss, nor feel fear surrounding the agonising end she'd just narrowly evaded.

Ahead of them, the lake twinkled in the evening sun. The cloud of smoke and ash which entombed the Realm was not large enough to reach the lake, and the increasing winds were blowing the smoke the opposite way out towards Equestria. Twilight had settled with Spike down by the most open part of the lake. She flagged down the dragons as they approached, waving her arms in the direction of the most appropriate landing spots.

The dragons fluttered down gently, depositing the humans on the soft mud and patches of gravel, rocks and pebbles which lined the lake. One by one, the dragons settled, and the humans wearily thanked them. There was still clear tension between the two opposing sides, but not enough to erupt into another bout of fighting.

And so the scene was set: Spike, Twilight and Cadance in the middle of two opposing forces; on one side, the dragons stood in a rabble, glaring across to the humans, whilst on the other, the humans stood weapon-less glaring back at the dragons. Neither side cared enough to begin building bridges and unite the two sides. Princess Duciel and Bonheur, and King Lydda and his daughter Angelica were both dropped down in front of their respective factions.

King Lydda took a particular disliking to Bonheur immediately, recognising him from the attacks on his village, and drew his sword. "You, there!" he called out, "You've tormented my people, you torched my village and you many have lost their husbands, wives and children because of you. I will slay you where you stand!" he bellowed, beginning his march towards the dragon.

The ponies immediately flung themselves in the King's way, and his daughter Angelica tugged on his unarmed left hand, pleading him to withdraw. "No, father, don't!" she begged, "There's been enough death already;" she growled, "we needn't have more!" Angelica reasoned as the two pony princesses raised their magical defensive barriers against the King.

"Your daughter's right, Lydda" Twilight agreed, "there's been enough loss over this. Bad blood leads to bad blood, so we need to come to a peaceful resolution, and we need to do it now."

"Peace will be resorted once I have the head of that dragon above my mantle!" the King roared.

"Father, I beg you; spare him." Angelica pleaded.

"And allow him to live after he has mercilessly murdered so many? I won't allow it!" King Lydda defied his daughter's request. He turned his attention towards the Princesses, "Clear a path for me, ponies, lest you find yourselves on the end of my sword." Lydda warned as he gripped his sword in both hands, brought it up to the level of his face and charged at Bonheur.

Twilight and Cadance attempted to deflect the blow. However, Lydda's strength and dexterity proved a fair match for the powers of the Princesses; his sword withstanding the forces placed upon it by his swings against the ponies' defensive magic, the King eventually found his way through the barrier. He lifted his sword behind his head in preparation for the fatal blow dealt to Bonheur, but that would not come to pass as he suddenly felt an immense weight over him. His sword dragged him to the floor.

As it slammed onto the ground, the King twisted and contorted his body around without releasing his grip on his weapon to find it encased in blackened crystal. His eyes followed the direction of his sword along the ground until his gaze met with the feet of the culprit who had sabotaged his attempts at ending the conflict. In front of him stood his dear Angelica, holding the Manifest Crystal in her hands, "Angelica!" he bellowed. The Princess wasted no time, powering up the crystal and firing a small crystallised beam, locking her father's hands together. He immediately dropped his sword, the weight of the crystals pulling him down to his knees.

"I told you father; no more. We'll settle this peacefully, for the good of all our races." Angelica smiled towards Duciel before turning to address the crowds, "Here me when I say we shall settle our differences and learn to coexist with one another. No more will blood be spilled between our species, but bridges built and bonds created to lead us all into a brighter future." As her words began to settle the tension between the crowds, Angelica turned to the ponies. "I thank you for your efforts here." she grinned, "Without your help, I fear things may have not turned out so well."

Twilight frowned, "But we didn't really do anything."

Angelica shook her head, "You did more than you know. When someone is in turmoil, sometimes there is nothing you can do. At times like these, simply being there can help immensely, and you all saw this dire situation through to the end; many others would turn away. It takes a much bigger person to stand up and fight for someone else's cause. I thank you."

"In that case, you're welcome. I think there are some things we need to work out between your kind and Equestria, too. Come and visit us some time." The purple Princess pony suggested. At that moment, Twilight felt a tingle in her flank. She looked around to find her cutie mark glowing. Like her friends before, she noted this as a sign that her task was complete.

Spike smiled with glee, "That's it, Twilight, we did it!" he beamed.

Twilight embraced Spike, "You're right. I think our work here is done." she grinned, lowering a wing as a suggestion to Spike to hop on her back. Once mounted, she turned to Princess Duciel, "That sentiment is extended to you, too, Princess Duciel. I look forward to a more pleasant future between humans, ponies and dragons alike, and you seem like the perfect Princess to lead the way."

"I'll come visit, I promise." Duciel smirked gleefully.

Twilight and Cadance nodded to each other, spread their wings and soared away, leaving behind the two tribes to their business. Twilight still felt like she could have done more, and was saddened by a lot of the events which had taken place, but she sincerely hoped with Princess Duciel and Princess Angelica overlooking their respective peoples that brighter days were to come for everyone involved, and for that she couldn't be happier.

The end.

Epilogue

A mysterious, shadowed figure cautiously made its way through a cold, dark hallway. The translucent curtains drawn across the windows made the colourfully tinted light so dim that features were nigh impossible to make out.

"You're here..." a familiar female voice echoed throughout the room. "Report."

"The Princess failed." the unknown figure responded with a deep, booming voice. "Almost everything unfolded as it should, bar a few circumstances. Espoir created conflict as instructed. Depaix was thrown from power, but unfortunately, Duciel and Nett were not dealt with and took control after his banishment."

"What happened?"

"The King fought back more valiantly than expected, Nett escaped, and Duciel was nowhere to be seen."

"And the map had already informed Twilight of the danger by this point?"

"Correct."

"What happened when she arrived?"

"Nett kidnapped Spike and placed him on the throne in place of the missing Princess, causing some... difficulties; it would be impossible for the Captain to assume control with both Nett and Duciel in the palace. Our only option was to escalate the situation. Espoir provoked King Lydda and his men to attack. The Dragon Realm was on its knees until the Captain came to finish the job. The Manifest Crystals we held should have given us a clear advantage, but two things we hadn't counted on: one; Duciel not only had her own Crystal, but she had also been meeting with Princess Angelica and provided her with one, and two; the eruption of the volcano. The Captain let his guard down and ended up getting himself killed."

"Unfortunate..." the female replied with little concern. The lack of compassion behind her voice startled the unidentified male, causing him to pause his explanation of events. "Continue." she insisted.

"When the volcano erupted, Duciel gathered the Manifest Crystals and rallied everyone to help save each other." the figure stepped forward; the light reflected off a blue gem on his neck. "I fled the scene with mine... and that's all I have to report."

"You've done well. Unfortunately, the humans remain a threat. We shall discuss how best to deal with that threat in the morning. Until then, I suggest you get some rest; our work is far from done, Vacité."

The dragon bowed, "Of course, Princess Celestia." he replied, acknowledging his instruction.

Princess Spike

"Spike?" Twilight called. "Spike!" she shouted.

"Here!" Spike replied, running through the castle into the throne room.

The Map was glowing with Twilight's Cutie Mark hovering above a volcano. "Seems the map wants me to go check out the Dragon Realm for a friendship problem. I know I've been telling everypony to go to their callings on their own, but I figured you might want to come with me on this trip. Maybe you'll learn a few things about your heritage."

Spikes eyes opened wide at the prospect. "You mean it? You really want me to come with you?"

Twilight smiled acceptingly.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, repeatedly running off down the hall and returning with more and more suitcases in tow. "I'll just pack a few things for the trip. You never know how long we'll be gone for. We might need some extra quills, and a check list, and I'll bring some gems in case I get extra hungry, and-"

Twilight interrupted "Spike!" The baby dragon stopped in his tracks "I'm sure you won't need all of that. We shouldn't be gone for too long."

Spike frowned, picking up all the suitcases and shoving them into a nearby closet. "Fine." he mumbled.

Twilight trotted out of the castle as Spike followed. The purple dragon jumped on her back and they took off.

They flew for quite a while until the volcano came into view. The sky was red, the volcano smoked, and several dragons flew around the top of the volcano.

The Princess and Spike settled down by the foot of the volcano, trotting confidently into the Realm.

Shortly upon arrival, they were greeted by a gigantic red dragon with a yellow stomach and scales. He slammed his body down in front of Twilight and Spike. "Measly pony," he snorted "step away from the Princess."

Both Twilight and Spike looked at each other in confusion. The dragon smacked Twilight out of the way, grabbing Spike and flying off with him.

"Twilight, help!" the baby dragon yelled, but Twilight had been knocked unconscious.

Spike was flown into the top of the volcano where there were a collection of different coloured dragons, and a cavern lined in gemstones. The baby dragon was flown into a throne room and placed upon it gently by his captor.

A green dragon approached him immediately. "Princess," he bowed "you've returned!"

"She had been taken captive by the ponies." the red dragon growled "I rescued her and brought her back here"

The green dragon nodded in acknowledgement, turning to Spike "I believe the ponies have overstepped a line this time, my Princess. We were insulted enough when they mocked King Crackle, but to kidnap our beloved Princess simply can not go unpunished. They have declared war upon our kind. Shall I mobilise our defences, Princess? We could crush their land in a matter of days."

Spike listened nervously. He knew immediately that he'd been mistaken for their Princess, but feared retribution if he declared he wasn't the dragon they were looking for. "No." he answered nervously.

"Princess?" the green dragon questioned as the red dragon looked on. "Are you okay? Your voice sounds rather coarse."

Spike nodded, trying to soften his voice "Oh, yes, I'm fine," he squeaked "just a little worn out from my adventures."

The dragon looked on in confusion "'Adventure'?"

"Uh, yes," Spike continued "the pony you saw wasn't holding me captive, she was... my assistant!"

The red dragon suddenly looked a little nervous "My Princess, I apologise! I thought they had taken you captive. I-"

Spike held up his claw. "Enough! You may redeem your actions by fetching me the pony and bringing her here."

The red dragon turned to leave, "Immediately, my Princess!" and he flew off in haste.

The green dragon addressed Spike, "I am pleased to see you have returned, Princess. Unfortunately, however, in the days of your disappearance, there have been many issues we've been unable to resolve. We placed Prince Crackle Jr in charge, but his incompetence knows no bounds - he is nothing like his father - Smaug rest his soul." He flipped open his check list "I have attempted to take care of our Royal duties to the best of my abilities, but we ultimately need your official decree on these issues."

"By all means." Spike slouched lazily in his throne.

The green dragon flipped a page and rattled off some issues, "Uh, well, some of our residents are becoming concerned over the prospect of our volcano becoming more active over the past few weeks. We're worried about our home flooding and being destroyed."

Spike smiled and confidently decreed "Have the locals seal their residences with boulders, creating a seal the lava will not be able to penetrate. This should protect their belongings from being destroyed should an eruption occur."

The green dragon nodded and noted down Spike's response. "Next order of business. The Griffons have been advancing further onto our lands, taking our jewels and gems. How shall we respond?"

Spike sat up. He realised there were a few pressing issues here in the Dragon Realm and wondered if he was a little out of his depth. "Uh..." he stuttered "send someone to talk to their King. Meanwhile, reinforce our defences around the area."

The green dragon nodded in agreement, noting down a response. "Who shall we send, Princess?"

Spike tried frantically to think of a response. He didn't know the names of any dragons, nor anything about their hierarchy. "Uh... Crackle! Send Crackle."

"Are you sure that's wise? Crackle hasn't spoken on our behalf since he accidentally sank Draglantis."

Spike backed up his decision with some confidence "We all make mistakes - some larger than others - but we all need to be shown a bit of confidence. I'm sure Crackle can come up with a solution."

The green dragon reluctantly noted down Spike's decision.

Just then, the red dragon returned, dropping Twilight into the room. "Princess. I found her and brought her here as you ordered."

Spike beamed. "Twilight!" he squee'd. He turned to the red dragon. "Thank you. Consider yourself redeemed. Now be gone with you."

"Of course" he replied, flying off without delay.

Twilight looked on at Spike with concern. "Spike? What's going-"

Spike quickly shushed her, speaking to the green dragon. "This is Princess Twilight Sparkle - the Princess of Friendship in Equestria. We have some important business to discuss. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to leave us alone for a while. I shall call you when we're done."

"Of course, my Princess." The green dragon nodded, leaving the room.

Twilight scowled at Spike. "Spike? What are you doing?"

"I haven't done anything! They carried me here. They think I'm their Princess."

"Princess?"

"I don't know what to do."

"Tell them you're not their Princess, maybe?"

"I can't. Not now. They've been asking me what to do. I've already been acting as their Princess."

"What? Why in Equestria would you do that?"

"I don't know. I was nervous! I didn't know what they'd do to me if I told them I wasn't the real Princess. You remember the last time I had to deal with dragons; they threatened to smash me if I didn't break that Phoenix egg, remember?"

Twilight sighed loudly. "Well we can't just let you rule these dragons. We need to find the real Princess,"

"Whoa, whoa!" Spike interrupted "Why not?"

Twilight rolled her eyes "because you can't keep up this charade forever. Someone will notice sooner or later, and then what will they do to you?"

Spike frowned in horror "You're right, but how are we supposed to find the Princess?"

"Well I doubt they'll let you just wander off again. I'll have to do it myself." Twilight declared "I'll find her and bring her back here. Until then, you're just going to have to sit here and play 'Pretty Purple Princess'."

Of Ponies and Dragons

Spike sweated profusely, his mind racing at the prospect of having to make such an important decision on the fly. "Evacuate" he blurted. Nett seemed unsure of the decision and hesitated, waiting for an explanation. Spike noticed the hesitation in the dragon's movements. "If we stay and we fight, we could lose everything. If we evacuate, we can return later with a plan."

Nett acknowledged Spike's wishes. "As you wish, Princess." the green dragon began to leave, but paused with a question "Where shall we go, Princess?"

Spike pondered the nearby geography. He and Twilight had travelled far, far south - beyond the borders of Equestria - to get to the Dragon Realm. "There's a desert north of here, on the southern border of Equestria." Princess Spike explained.

"Equestria?" Nett scorned. "You can't expect us to traverse the borders to safety. Not into the kingdom of ponies."

"But-"

"No!" Nett growled. "We stay and fight." the defiant dragon expanded his wings and flew away, calling all the other dragons to arms. A large group of dragons gathered overhead before shooting off in all manner of directions. Spike was left alone, defenceless.

"Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" Spike panicked, "I can't keep up this lie. Maybe I should just tell them I'm not the real Princess? Maybe I could tell them if they weren't all about to be slain by these 'Heroes'." Spike paced around until he found himself in another room which looked rather presidential; it was draped in beautiful tapestries depicting powerful-looking dragons and what must have been an important emblem of the Dragon Realm. At one end of the room stood a desk, containing little more than a quill and ink, a few scrolls and a chair which sat behind it.

Spike propped himself up on the chair and unfurled the scroll which lay in front of him. It was a long and complicated piece which seemed to describe a treaty between the Dragon Realm and the Crystal Empire. Spike quickly skimmed the treaty, picking out the important information. Princess Duciel had been visiting the Crystal Empire, meeting with Princess Cadance, working on peace alongside a trade agreement.

"Makes sense" Spike muttered to himself, "The Crystal Empire thrives on Harmony, and the dragons of this realm are obsessed with gems and - both sides win." he quickly realised Princess Duciel must have been heading to the Crystal Empire. "She must have set off for Equestria!" Spike looked in the drawers of the desk for a blank scroll. "I have to tell Twilight." He decreed, scribbling down the relevant information and with a whiff of fire, it was sent on its way.

"Only question now is who are these 'Heroes'?" Spike endeavoured to find out.

Meanwhile, in the Canterlot Archives, Twilight had pulled up a gigantic pile of books relating to dragons, dragon culture, dragon history, and just about any other dragon-related book she could find. She'd mulled through dozens of them, picking up pieces of information, but nothing really relating to what the dragon in the forest had told her.

"Right, so, a quick recap: what have I learned so far?" Twilight asked herself, holding up coloured sheets of paper matching the colours of bookmarks she'd placed in various books, labelled and numbered appropriately.

"Dragons and ponies have a history of violence which, over time, calmed to a tolerance. After periods of both sides of the conflicts banishing the opposing forces from their kingdom or realm, dragons eventually ceased conflict in exchange for being allowed to bring their migration through Equestria as opposed to having to go around. King Depaix had been the leading force behind the peace talks after he came to the throne."

Twilight switched cards, "King Depaix ruled the Dragon Realm for decades, successfully bringing peace between ponies and dragons until as recently as a few moons ago when he disappeared. It was reported that the dragons had been under attack from a band of aggressors known as 'Heroes' the dragons believed had been sent by Equestria. The King's daughter - Princess Duciel - was next to the throne..." Twilight sighed "...and now she's missing, too."

Suddenly, in a flash of light and fire, Spike's note popped out of thin air and onto the floor in front of the purple alicorn.

'Dear Twilight,

I've stumbled across some information regarding the whereabouts of the Princess.

She had been meeting with Cadance in the Crystal Empire, trying to bring about a peace treaty and a trade agreement. I think she may have been on her way to the Crystal Empire when she went missing. She could be in Equestria.

The Dragon Realm has come under attack by a group called the 'Heroes'. I have no idea who they are, but the Princess' main servant - Nett - seems convinced that they don't stand a chance against them.

Her name is Princess Duciel. Please find her, Twilight, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

Yours Faithfully,
Spike'

"I need to find Cadance before this gets any worse." Twilight declared worriedly.